Sports News for 4 June 2025
The Football Ferns have beaten Venezuela 2-1 in their second international friendly in Spain.
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RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
How All Whites 'act and behave' on field to be tested
Players of both teams (Michael Boxall and Bill Tuiloma) argue during the New Zealand All Whites v Qatar friendly football match in Austria, 2023. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Nearly two years ago to the day, All White Michael Boxall was central to a moment that captured the attention of football players around the world and the sports global governing body. On 20 June, 2023, the All Whites refused to take the field for the second half of a friendly game against Qatar after Boxall was allegedly racially abused by an opposition player late in the first half. The referee took no action on the field and New Zealand Football believed the All Whites had done the right thing by abandoning the game at half-time. It was a situation the All Whites had not faced before. Boxall said he moved on "pretty quickly" from the incident and does not look back at it. A "non-issue", he said. Just another thing that happened during an international career that began 14 years ago and involves tales of disruptive tactics by opposition fans and 50 hour travel days, amongst the winning moments such as his goal for the All Whites in March. Boxall could add more memories at his first Football World Cup next year. The centre-back, who captains his club side Minnesota United in Major League Soccer and has worn the armband for the All Whites, said despite his experience, he was not the loudest voice in the lockeroom. "I've never really been one of the more vocal people but if something needs to be said I won't shy away," he said. Boxall has played 55 times for the All Whites and tentatively said that some of his younger New Zealand team mates look to him as a leader. New Zealand captain Michael Boxall leads the All Whites team out against Mexico in 2024. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2024 "Because this is such a good group and we have so many players who also lead at their own clubs, that it's not often that things need to be said. When things are going right it's any easy group to be a part of because everyone 99 times out of 100 does the right thing. "In the upcoming few months, we're going to come up against some top opposition and be in some tough circumstances where we will look to players like Chris Wood and, perhaps players will look to myself as well. We will have to do a bit more than just lead by example and kind of steer the ship a little bit, but we'll cross those bridges when we reach them." The All Whites are competing in the Canadian Shield against the higher ranked Côte d'Ivoire (world number 41) in Toronto on Sunday followed by world number 25 Ukraine on Wednesday. It is part of NZF's push to get the All Whites playing against nations from each confederation in the build up to the world cup. "Over the last few years, we've kind of carved out an identity and how we want to play and how we want to act and behave on the field and I think against the the island teams when we're qualifying for the world cup it's easy to show those attributes. "But then when you're really in the fire against top 40, top 20 teams, which we'll be facing the next week, it's when we'll really be tested so if we can carry on those attributes in to these games against world class opposition then that'll be the true test of where we stand and what we need to work on heading into the 2026 world cup." Part of what Boxall said he liked about international football was witnessing how the game was treated by fans in countries where the round ball was most popular. Michael Boxall takes a header for the All Whites. Photo: PhotoSport "I think back to when we were in Peru, the fun and games that they would play, they wouldn't allow our plane to land in Peru so we had to stopover in Chile for three hours landed at 1am, there's no cars on the highway and they give us a police escort going 20km an hour just to screw up our whole travel day. "The night before the game they've got people letting off fireworks outside our hotel every hour starting at 2am. "It upsets your preparation but it's just an eye-opening experience to how other nations treat this game and how big it is around the world." Boxall could expect a warmer welcome in the USA, Canada or Mexico next year, when the three countries share the hosting of the world cup. He has been a mainstay in the MLS with Minnesota having an option to extend his contract next season and is confident his performances will keep him in All Whites coach Darren Bazeley's thoughts for the global event. "Ticking on eight or nine years at the club, playing almost pretty much week in week out I'd say as long as I can keep myself at the my current level and stay healthy, then I don't see a whole lot changing in the near future." Given his base in the American midwest, getting into the current All Whites camp for the Canadian Shield games in Toronto was one of the shorter travel days he has encountered. "Just a two hour flight for me and a one hour time difference was a stark contrast to the March window, where I had a few missed flights and connections gone awry, so it ended up being like a 50 hour travel day. So this was much better received." The trip to Norway in October will be a bit longer but again it is all part of build up over the next few international windows that will include different nations. "[It's] really just to open our eyes to the way those teams play, and then once the draw happens, then we can narrow down and really refine our preparation for who will be facing at the World Cup." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
Midday Sports News for 5 June 2025
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic has kept up his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, battling past third seed Alexander Zverev in four sets to set up a French Open semi-final against top seed Jannik Sinner. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- RNZ News
Ronaldo fires Portugal into Nations League final
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. Photo: Foto Olimpik / PHOTOSPORT Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Portugal fought back to beat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday, with the 40-year-old bagging his 137th international goal to send them into the Nations League final. It was Portugal's first win over Germany since 2000 with Ronaldo's goal earning them a spot in their second Nations League final, after winning the inaugural edition in 2019. Spain and France will clash in the other semi-final on Thursday to decide who will face Portugal in the decider on Sunday. Germany dominated the first half, but it remained goalless thanks to the heroics of Portugal keeper Diogo Costa. The shotstopper made an excellent start to the first half, keeping out a low shot from Germany's Leon Goretzka after four minutes with a strong save. Costa came to Portugal's rescue again with an incredible save from Nick Woltemade's close-range effort and two minutes later, he produced another quick reaction stop, diving low to tip away another attempt from Goretzka. Germany took the lead in the 48th minute, as Florian Wirtz headed in unmarked in the box, following a pinpoint lobbed pass from Joshua Kimmich. However, Portugal turned the match around, first equalising through substitute Francisco Conceicao in the 63rd minute, before Ronaldo tapped in five minutes later after Nuno Mendes teed him up. For Conceicao, the win carried extra significance, as his father Sergio scored a hat-trick the last time Portugal beat Germany - at the European Championship in 2000. Germany looked to shift the momentum when substitute Karim Adeyemi unleashed a powerful rising strike with his left foot, only to see it crash against the outside of Costa's right-hand post. Portugal could have grabbed a third goal very late in the match but Germany keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen stretched impressively to perform a double save. - Reuters
