All Whites shock African champions Ivory Coast 1-0 in Toronto
Elijah Just contests possession for the All Whites against Ivory Coast.
Photo:
photosport
The All Whites have clung on to shock African champions Ivory Coast 1-0 in Toronto - in a result that could be regarded as one of their best in the last 15 years.
Winger Eli Just scored the winning goal just before halftime before New Zealand dug in to win a contest in which they were largely outplayed but scrapped effectively to preserve a clean sheet.
They did it with regular captain Chris Wood playing as a substitute, coming off the bench in the 82nd minute to replace striker Kosta Barbarouses as All Whites management seek to control the 33-year-old's workload following a huge season of goal-scoring at Nottingham Forest.
Defender
Libby Cacace
was captain in his place.
It was New Zealand's first match since March, when they beat New Caledonia in Auckland to book their place at next year's FIFA World Cup.
Playing their first ever men's senior match against world No.41 Ivory Coast, the 86th-ranked All Whites notched their first win over a team ranked that high since 2010.
Victory was based on some inspired defending, led by Finn Surman, while fellow-centre back Tyler Bindon also impressed with his grittiness and goalkeeper Max Crocombe came up with a number of crucial stops.
After seeing off a host of Ivory Coast attacks, the New Zealanders scored a counter-attacking goal through Austria-based Just in the 41st minute.
Marko Stamenic contests possession for the All Whites against Ivory Coast.
Photo:
photosport
The goal was set up by midfielder Marko Stamenic, who won back possession in the middle of the park and quickly picking out Just's run down the right flank.
Just's first touch was sublime before an angled shot to the far left corner beat goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare.
The Elephants didn't start with their strongest side at BMO Stadium, but coach Emerse Fae introduced a host of leading European players in the second half in the pursuit of goals.
One of their best chance came in the 92nd minute when Crocombe produced a reaction save to deny a close-range header from Brighton star winger in the English Premier League, Simon Adingra.
Moments later the final whistle sounded on just New Zealand's third win in 19 international matches against African opposition.
The only injury concern was an apparent knee problem suffered by Callum McCowatt midway through the first half. He was replaced by Ben Old.
The match was part of the Canadian Shield four-nation tournament.
In the opening match, hosts Canada beat Ukraine 4-2.
New Zealand will play the 25th-ranked Ukrainians on Wednesday morning in Toronto.
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The All Whites have clung on to shock African champions Ivory Coast 1-0 in Canda - in a result that could be regarded as one of their best in the last 15 years. Winger Eli Just scored the winning goal just before halftime before New Zealand dug in to win a contest in Toronto on Sunday in which they were largely outplayed but scrapped effectively to preserve a clean sheet. They did it with regular captain Chris Wood playing as a substitute, coming off the bench in the 82nd minute to replace striker Kosta Barbarouses as All Whites management seek to control the 33-year-old's workload following a huge season of goal-scoring at Nottingham Forest. Defender Libby Cacace was captain in his place. It was New Zealand's first match since March, when they beat New Caledonia in Auckland to book their place at next year's FIFA World Cup. Playing their first ever men's senior match against world No 41 Ivory Coast, the 86th-ranked All Whites notched their first win over a team ranked that high since 2010. Victory was based on some inspired defending, led by Finn Surman, while fellow-centre back Tyler Bindon also impressed with his grittiness and goalkeeper Max Crocombe came up with a number of crucial stops. After seeing off a host of Ivory Coast attacks, the New Zealanders scored a counter-attacking goal through Austria-based Just in the 41st minute. The goal was set up by midfielder Marko Stamenic, who won back possession in the middle of the park and quickly picking out Just's run down the right flank. Just's first touch was sublime before an angled shot to the far left corner beat goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare. The Elephants didn't start with their strongest side at BMO Stadium, but coach Emerse Fae introduced a host of leading European players in the second half in the pursuit of goals. One of their best chance came in the 92nd minute when Crocombe produced a reaction save to deny a close-range header from Brighton star winger in the English Premier League, Simon Adingra. Moments later, the final whistle sounded on just New Zealand's third win in 19 international matches against African opposition. The only injury concern was an apparent knee problem suffered by Callum McCowatt midway through the first half. He was replaced by Ben Old. The match was part of the Canadian Shield four-nation tournament. In the opening match, hosts Canada beat Ukraine 4-2. New Zealand play 25th-ranked Ukrainians on Wednesday morning in Toronto.
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Elijah Just contests possession for the All Whites against Ivory Coast. Photo: photosport The All Whites have clung on to shock African champions Ivory Coast 1-0 in Toronto - in a result that could be regarded as one of their best in the last 15 years. Winger Eli Just scored the winning goal just before halftime before New Zealand dug in to win a contest in which they were largely outplayed but scrapped effectively to preserve a clean sheet. They did it with regular captain Chris Wood playing as a substitute, coming off the bench in the 82nd minute to replace striker Kosta Barbarouses as All Whites management seek to control the 33-year-old's workload following a huge season of goal-scoring at Nottingham Forest. Defender Libby Cacace was captain in his place. It was New Zealand's first match since March, when they beat New Caledonia in Auckland to book their place at next year's FIFA World Cup. Playing their first ever men's senior match against world No.41 Ivory Coast, the 86th-ranked All Whites notched their first win over a team ranked that high since 2010. Victory was based on some inspired defending, led by Finn Surman, while fellow-centre back Tyler Bindon also impressed with his grittiness and goalkeeper Max Crocombe came up with a number of crucial stops. After seeing off a host of Ivory Coast attacks, the New Zealanders scored a counter-attacking goal through Austria-based Just in the 41st minute. Marko Stamenic contests possession for the All Whites against Ivory Coast. Photo: photosport The goal was set up by midfielder Marko Stamenic, who won back possession in the middle of the park and quickly picking out Just's run down the right flank. Just's first touch was sublime before an angled shot to the far left corner beat goalkeeper Badra Ali Sangare. The Elephants didn't start with their strongest side at BMO Stadium, but coach Emerse Fae introduced a host of leading European players in the second half in the pursuit of goals. One of their best chance came in the 92nd minute when Crocombe produced a reaction save to deny a close-range header from Brighton star winger in the English Premier League, Simon Adingra. Moments later the final whistle sounded on just New Zealand's third win in 19 international matches against African opposition. The only injury concern was an apparent knee problem suffered by Callum McCowatt midway through the first half. He was replaced by Ben Old. The match was part of the Canadian Shield four-nation tournament. In the opening match, hosts Canada beat Ukraine 4-2. New Zealand will play the 25th-ranked Ukrainians on Wednesday morning in Toronto. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
