Junior All Whites out of FIFA U-20 World Cup
- Dave Worsley
- Oct 4
- 1 min read
The Junior All Whites have been beaten in their final Group A match at the U-20 World Cup in Chile, 3-0 by Japan.
Yuzo Funakoshi's side broke the deadlock and did so in spectacular style, with Kosei Ogura receiving a pass outside the area and launching a left-footed laser into the top-left corner.
LATEST HEADLINES:
But New Zealand came back strong after Japan nearly gifted them a goal when a defensive lapse forced Rui Araki to save from Nathan Walker.
New Zealand’s comeback task grew a lot tougher when Jayden Smith deflected Sora Hiraga’s hard hit into his own net, and then the final blow was landed courtesy of Hisatsugu Ishii’s tidy finish.
Goalkeeper Henry Gray pulled off some top saves across the game but the Japanese were too sharp in their attack and pushed New Zealand into mistakes and capitisled quickly.
Overall the the Chris Greenacre coach Junior All Whites finished with one win and two losses in a Pool where three teams finished on equal points.
Japan were top with nine points followed by Chile, Egypt and New Zealand all on three after a win each, but two losses
However Chile and Egypt had a -2 goal difference and New Zealand -3 which saw the hosts progress to the next round alongside Japan.
