In-form striker Chris Wood converted from the penalty spot in the second half of the All Whites clash with Fiji in Lautoka.

Professional, but certainly not perfect.

That was the reaction of coach Anthony Hudson after the All Whites collected a comfortable 2-0 win over Fiji in a largely one-sided World Cup qualifying encounter in Lautoka on Saturday.

With the contest scoreless at halftime, a pair of big blunders from the hosts early in the second spell gifted New Zealand a 2-0 lead and the three points they had came for in hot and humid conditions at Churchill Park.

PHOTOSPORT Marco Rojas couldn't believe his luck.

In-form striker and stand-in skipper Chris Wood was first to capitalise, coolly converting a penalty when the hosts handled inside the box.

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Just minutes later Marco Rojas gleefully accepted the invitation to double that lead, an embarrassing gaffe from goalkeeper Beniamino Mateinaqara allowing the Melbourne Victory maestro to put the ball into a wide-open net.

OFC Media Michael McGlinchey fights for the ball at Churchill Park in Lautoka.

Having mostly silenced a strong home crowd, the All Whites proficiently closed out victory in the final quarter, a result which meant a draw in the return fixture in Wellington on Tuesday would be enough to see them top group A and send them through to the two-legged Oceania final.

"It was a professional performance," Hudson said.

"For long periods of the first half we controlled the game, but at times with the humidity we just lacked a bit of tempo and purpose in our play.

"As the game wore on we got more comfortable holding the ball ... when we did that it was hard for them to get the ball. Coming here was about getting a clean sheet, winning the game and getting the job done."

Much of the noise out of the New Zealand camp in Wellington this week had been about imposing themselves on their lower-ranked and lesser-resourced opponents and, on the stats sheet at least, they achieved that.

While they didn't get reward on the scoreboard, the All Whites largely dominated the first 45 minutes, patiently controlling possession for long periods and pressing high to disrupt when Fiji had the ball.

All that was lacking were the final touches, and soon after the break Fiji gave them more than a helping hand in that department.

The go-ahead goal came just two minutes into the second half, Fiji handling when a long ball came into the box and in-form Leeds United marksman Wood calmly burying the spot kick.

That error had nothing on what led to the second, though, gloveman Mateinaqara getting far too casual on the ball as Rojas pounced to steal possession and score what must be one of the easiest goals of his career.

Despite plenty of attacking endeavour, it was a well-organised defensive effort that stood out for the All Whites.

That was no better evidenced than the way the threat of Fiji captain and dangerous striker Roy Krishna was kept to a minimum, Phoenix team-mate Andrew Durante and wing-backs Deklan Wynne and Kip Colvey playing key roles in that department.

Another Phoenix player, midfielder Michael McGlinchey, also put in a strong shift, while Rojas was regularly a menace for Fijian defenders.

Hudson did not want to single out individuals, noting he was satisfied with the overall team effort, and said they would quickly look forward to Tuesday's return leg.

"It's important to make sure we have the mindset that this game was 0-0, or even that we lost.

"We can't go into the second game overconfident or relaxed, we have to prepare exactly the same way and we can't afford to lose 1 per cent of the mentality we have going into this next match."

Tahiti (six points) are frontrunners to top group B after a 3-1 victory away to Papua New Guinea (0 points) on Thursday.

Those two teams square off again in Tahiti on Tuesday, before third round play completed with PNG's tie against the Solomon Islands (three points) in early June.

The winner of the Oceania final, to be played between August 28 and September 5, advances to the all-important intercontinental playoff in November against the fifth-placed nation from the South American confederation qualification process.