All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Thailand A 2 All Whites 2
A brace of goals from New Zealand soccer captain earned his team a 2-2 draw with Thailand A in Bangkok this morning (NZT).
Nelsen struck in the 20th and 58th minutes to draw the All Whites level after twice falling behind in the first half.
The Blackburn Rovers defender smashed
a volley from 10m after Andy Boyens nodded a corner back into his path, then met a wide free kick with a powerful header for New Zealand's second.
He would later have a strong penalty claim turned down and also put another header wide as his potential first international hat- trick went begging.
New Zealand were forced to play the last 25min with 10 men after fullback Tony Lochhead was sent off for two questionable bookings, although the first yellow card was rescinded after the match due to a case of mistaken identity by the local referee.
Coach Peter Reid utilised many of the same players used in Thailand's 3-1 win over the tourists on Sunday morning and his A side took the lead after just 7min through a precise 20m free kick that sailed into the top corner.
They restored their advantage 2min before halftime when a ball played over the defence caused indecision between Boyens and goalkeeper Glen Moss and allowed a Thai striker to pinch a 2-1 lead.
All Whites coach Ricki Herbert said his side had lifted their performance compared to the defeat against the Thai national side.
"I was very pleased tonight, we dictated 60 to 65 per cent of the game," Herbert said.
"We fell behind to a hell of a strike and it was a defensive error for the second with a couple of players getting caught in no man's land, but apart from that I think we only allowed one shot the second half.
"It was a step up, which was important for us to achieve tonight so onwards and upwards."
Herbert was particularly pleased with the way the side responded to playing with 10 men on another hot Bangkok night and the performance of the four changes to the starting 11.
- NZPA
