NEW ZEALAND – YOUNG ALL WHITES RUN CHILE CLOSE

AUCKLAND – New Zealand’s U-17 football side have been buoyed by a strong performance in a 0-1 loss to Chile’s U-18s at Devonport’s Allen Hill Stadium on Friday night.

The opening game of a two match series was decided by a side-footed strike from Jose Luis Silva midway through the first half, after a Jollans Dulcien cross was left to bounce in the New Zealand’s penalty area.

The Thai Airways Young All Whites had chances to level the scores in a resurgent second half with Jack Hobson-McViegh and Zane Sole going closest for the home side with long-range efforts.

Assistant coach Jonathan Gould was pleased with a competitive showing against the older South Americans in what was the current U-17 crop’s first international.

“I think when you play a team from an older age-group, you tend to go in with a bit of trepidation,” Gould said.

“We witnessed the New Zealand U-23s get a good result [a 1-0 win in Wellington last July] against Chile and that almost more pressure on us.

“But having weathered a storm for 20 minutes in the middle of the first half, we came out much stronger after halftime and could have grabbed an equaliser and probably would have deserved it.”

The Young All Whites are building towards the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria later this year with April’s Oceania U-17 Championship in Fiji acting as regional qualifiers, and Gould says early signs from the group are positive.

“The players acquitted themselves very well tonight. There are a few drivers in the side and that’s what you need to spur a side along. There’s also a lot of maturity there and that should put us in good stead for the qualifiers.”

But first New Zealand face a re-run against Chile at Douglas Field in Henderson on Sunday in a 12.30pm curtain raiser to Waitakere United against Team Wellington in the New Zealand Football Championship.

Age Group International

New Zealand U-17 0 Chile U-18 1 (Jose Luis SILVA 27)

Allen Hill Stadium

Referee: Mike Hester

New Zealand: 1-Coey TURIPA (GK), 2-Adam THOMAS, 3-Fergus NEIL (13-Ross HAVILAND 75), 4-Zane SOLE, 5-Gordon MURIE, 6-Nicholas PATERSON, 7-Ernesto LOPEZ (14-Jack HOBSON-MCVEIGH 46), 8-Stephen KIBBY (12-Andrew BEVIN 83), 9-Nicolai MOLIJN (19-Karlo PAVIC 61), 10-Thomas SPRAGG, 11-Dylan WINDUST (18-Alexander PRATAP 58).

Coach: Jonathan Gould

Cautions: Zane SOLE 31

Chile: 1-Carlos ALFARO (GK / 20-Misoel DAVILA 46), 2-Benjamin VIDAL (17-Diego OPAZO 45), 3-Mathies BLASQUEZ, 4-Daniel ULLOA, 5-Hugo CACERES, 6-Felipe GALLEGOS, 7-Jollans DULCIEN (12-Diego FUENTES 46), 8-Juan Carlos ESPINOZA, 9-Ramses BUSTOS (16-Mirko OPAZO 54), 10-Jose Luis SILVA (14-Fernando ESPINOZA 54), 11-Yashin PINTO.

Coach: Hugo Vilches

Story and image courtesy NZF Media

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