The All Whites were beaten 1-0 by the Socceroos in the first match of the Soccer Ashes series. Photo / Photosport
The All Whites wait for trans-Tasman success goes on.
There have been some tough losses to Australia over the years but this one was particularly painful, with the nagging feeling that New Zealand deserved more. But those are the fine margins of international football.
They couldn’t take their chances, before the Socceroos grabbed a late, late winner to substitute Max Balard, who took advantage of poor marking to finish superbly. The goal came in the 87th minute, while fellow Australian replacement Nestory Irankunda had headed over from close range a few minutes earlier.
It was a bitter blow, ahead of Tuesday’s return match at Go Media Stadium for the Soccer Ashes, though there were promising signs. For most of the first 60 minutes the All Whites were thoroughly dominant, to an extent rarely seen against Australia in New Zealand football history.
Their patterns and ball movement were superb, with the Socceroos chasing shadows. Ryan Thomas was a class above on his long awaited return, while Sapreet Singh looked sharp and confident. But they couldn’t make it count.
Captain Chris Wood was denied twice by goalkeeper Paul Izzo and will have regrets about the first opportunity, after he was released by a clever Singh pass. An earlier Singh shot flashed across the face of goal, while other opportunities didn’t have the end product required, especially in terms of crossing for Wood.
Australia were better in the second half but the match turned in the final 15 minutes, with the home side enlivened by the introduction of Irankunda and Mohamed Toure. Both coaches had made extensive changes but the Australia bench made the bigger impact – exhibiting their greater depth – while Bazeley needed to manage his key men with an eye towards Tuesday, with Wood and Thomas both withdrawn after 62 minutes.
Bazeley had opted for a predictable lineup. Tyler Bindon got the nod alongside Michael Boxall in central defence, with Francis de Vries and Tim Payne outside them. Thomas and Joe Bell were the midfield pivots.
The All Whites should have gone ahead after 17 minutes, when Wood was set free. It was a good save by Izzo – who narrowed the angle well – but the Nottingham Forest striker will wonder what might have been.
Unsurprisingly, Wood was at the centre of most of the best first half chances. A raking Singh ball almost found him, while Tim Payne couldn’t pull his cross back for the No 9. An example of the All Whites confidence came just before halftime, which culminated with Wood again being denied by Izzo at his far post. It started with a precise long pass from Thomas to find McCowatt, who killed the ball before feeding Wood, who took a touch to move into space, before his left foot shot.
The Australians were flummoxed for long periods in the first half, unable to get time and space on the ball. They were outfoxed in midfield and struggled with the All Whites press. Left back Jordan Bos was their main attacking danger while Connor Metcalfe stung the palms of Max Crocombe from distance.
New Zealand was again the more assertive team after the break, with sharp, snappy passing. Cameron Burgess did well to block McCowatt’s effort, while another ball fell invitingly for Boxall, with his effort deflected away for a corner. A Tim Payne slip then saw Martin Boyle through but the Hibs midfielder lost his footing before Boxall cleaned up.
Bazeley rolled the changes from the hour mark with Wood (Kosta Barbarouses), Thomas (Alex Rufer) and Payne (Callan Elliott) withdrawn. Francis de Vries also left the field – with a knock to the knee – which saw James McGarry on for his first appearance since 2019, while Finn Surman (Singh) and Ben Old (Just) were other changes.
But the Australian reinforcements changed the match. There had been a scare for the All Whites, with whizzkid Irankunda heading over from six yards out, before the killer goal.
It was a superb finish but a poor concession. The All Whites had chances to clear the danger from a corner but couldn’t before Balard was left free inside the area, with Rufer losing his man, though the pass to Balard was also too easily executed. It was a fatal loss of concentration, as Balard turned quickly then found the corner.
New Zealand tried to find a response – but time was against them – as the Socceroos hung on for an unlikely result.
All Whites 0
Socceroos 1 (Max Balard 87′)
Halftime 0-0