Quiet confidence from Oly Whites camp

New Zealand take on the former Soviet republic at the City of Coventry Stadium and Emblen says the fact that the Belarusians are one of only three qualifiers from Europe, along with the Spanish and Swiss, commands respect.“Nobody beats the Czech Republic and takes Spain to extra time without being a good side,” Emblen says.“They…

The first event of the London Olympics – the match is two days before the opening ceremony – marks the first time a Great Britain women’s team has ever played at the Games and is the first Great Britain match at any Olympics since 1960. There is therefore an extra sense of occasion about the…

The Football Ferns open the Olympics against Great Britain in Cardiff on Wednesday while the Oly Whites take on Belarus on Thursday in Coventry, and both New Zealand teams hit the training pitch in their respective cities for the first time on Saturday. Good news for each team was the sight of key players joining…

After a quick-fire brace of goals saw UAE take a 2-0 lead in the 23rd minute, the strikes to the All Whites pair drew the two London-bound sides level by early in the second half at Matrei Stadium. A 40th-minute corner was flicked on by Ryan Nelsen and buried by Smeltz’s stooping header to give…

Basalaj, 18, flies out tonight to meet the squad in London when they return from their fleeting trip to Austria, where they face fellow Olympic finalists UAE tomorrow morning (4am NZT).The recent U-17 and U-20 international will provide cover for All Whites stopper Jake Gleeson, who is nursing a groin injury picked up in the…

New Zealand dominated the South Americans from start to finish but didn’t make the breakthrough until injury time in the first half when Amber Hearn and Rebecca Smith both netted.Hearn nodded the Ferns into the lead in the first minute of time added on when Rosie White put Anna Green’s cross back into the fray….