Soccer: Estonia ignore rankings - and All Whites

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Rankings tell only so much, as New Zealand and Estonia showed in their first international clash, in Tallinn yesterday.

The Mick Waitt-coached All Whites went into the match ranked 30 places higher than Estonia in the Fifa ratings.

But playing away from home, with a below-strength team and being pitted against a team in the midst of red-hot European competition, meant the paperwork counted for little.

The All Whites lost 3-2 in near-freezing conditions, but Waitt and assistant coach Ricki Herbert found some positives to take from the match.

"To get into the position we did with a couple of good goals, and then get nothing out of it was disappointing," Herbert said.

"We saw the need to play the game at their pace because they had three strikers who were all strong and quick.

"They denied us ball because of that, but it has given us something to look at because we expect Poland [their next opponents] will play a similar type of game."

Herbert said there were some heartening individual efforts.

"We got stung early in each half when they scored, which is something we will have to address, but there were some good performances, particularly from Noah Hickey and Aaran Lines, who caused them problems, and newcomers Glen Collins, David Mulligan and Brent Fisher"

Down a goal after a sometimes frenetic opening, the All Whites fought back strongly to go to the break 2-1 ahead. Hickey, back in the national side after missing the Oceania Nations Cup and other recent internationals, wasted no time in using his most valuable asset - speed.

His pace caused problems for the often-stacked Estonian defence. It also played a vital role in the two All White goals.

After conceding a 10th-minute goal when Aivar Anniste ghosted between Gavin Wilkinson and Gerard Davis and was unchallenged in hitting his shot which ricocheted off the post into the back of the net, the All Whites gave almost as good as they got.

Goalkeeper Jason Batty did well to keep it to just that one goal for the first 20 minutes.

The experienced home side - with three players boasting more than 300 international caps between them - found few terrors in the New Zealand attack until the 40th minute when Hickey's sweet left-footer took a slight deflection on its way to the Estonian net.

Three minutes later, midfielder Collins played a superb long ball to Hickey who out-paced his marker and crossed a well-struck pass to Aaran Lines.

Lines made a difficult cross-body left-foot shot look easy as the ball flew into the net.

The home side were level within seven minutes, through a Kirkman Vikmae header.

Determined to maintain the pressure, the home side made a triple substitution before the hour, and twice more went to their bench within 15 minutes.

Collins shot wide after Ivan Vicelich and Lines provided the build-up and substitute Fisher, on debut, had a great chance in the 79th minute, but tried to sidefoot the ball beyond the goalkeeper in a one-on-one when something firmer might have found the net.

Estonia broke the deadlock eight minutes from time when, from their fifth corner, Indred Zelinski headed home from close range.

In the third minute of extra time Davis found Hickey, but his shot was just wide.

The All Whites are now in Poland for Thursday's tour-ender.