The All Whites will play Japan for the Kirin Cup in Tokyo on Monday night after a flawless penalty shootout took them past Panama in Yokohama on Thursday.
The match finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, and under tournament rules it went straight to penalties with no extra time. New Zealand scored all five of their kicks to win the shootout 5-3, with goalkeeper Alex Paulsen saving Panama’s fourth attempt from Mijahír Jiménez before veteran defender Michael Boxall stepped up to finish it, Friends of Football reported.
Tyler Bindon, Marko Stamenić, Moses Dyer, Lachlan Bayliss and Boxall were the five New Zealand players who converted from the spot, according to RNZ.
It is a result worth noting on paper alone. New Zealand went into the game ranked 86th in the world, while Panama sat at 44th and had played at this year’s FIFA World Cup, the NZ Herald noted.
Stamenić gave the All Whites the lead in the 13th minute. Ben Waine got in behind the Panama defence and set up the Swansea City midfielder, who finished to continue a productive run in front of goal during this international window.
Panama had more of the ball in the first half and eventually found an equaliser just on the break, with Giovany Herbert scoring in first-half stoppage time to send the teams to the interval level.
The second half was a scrappier affair. Both coaches made a string of changes, and RNZ observed that neither side really found its rhythm after the break. Captain Chris Wood, back in the side after missing the two matches in China, led the line but had few clear chances, while Bayliss came closest to a winner in open play with a left-footed effort, the Herald reported.
That left the shootout. Boxall, 38, was called into the squad for the Japan leg of the trip as an injury replacement, and he was the man trusted with the decisive kick. He made no mistake.
Paulsen’s save was the moment that swung it. The goalkeeper, on loan at Scottish club Motherwell, has now played a central part in a match that keeps New Zealand unbeaten through a four-game window that began with a 2-2 draw against Palestine and a 3-0 win over China in late September.
Japan, the hosts, will be waiting in the final after beating Ecuador in the other semi-final later the same night. That match finished 0-0 and Japan won the shootout 5-4, Ecuadorian outlet Primicias reported. Panama and Ecuador will meet in the play-off for third.
The final will be played at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Monday 5 October (New Zealand time).
Japan is a familiar and painful opponent for New Zealand football. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Wood scored twice at the tournament before the Olympic side lost to Japan on penalties in the quarter-finals. Wood also has a record of scoring in Japan, having found the net there in 2014 and again in 2017.
Speaking at a pre-match media briefing on 30 September, the day before the Panama game, Wood said the team’s form in China had shown what it was capable of.
“The China game showed exactly what we can do, if given the chance,” Wood said.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to score five goals in those two games and the challenge is to now go and score five more.”
Coach Darren Bazeley said at the same briefing that he expected the opposition to get harder as the window went on.
“We know it was a strong performance in China, but we also know that where they’re ranked, and the level of opposition is getting tougher,” Bazeley said.
That prediction held true against Panama, and Japan will be harder again. The Samurai Blue are one of Asia’s strongest sides and will have home support in Tokyo.
The All Whites have been working through the window without several regulars. Callum McCowatt returned to his Danish club AGF after a head injury against China, and defenders Finn Surman and Nando Pijnaker withdrew injured before the trip.
The run of games has also been a chance for Bazeley to look at fringe players after the World Cup. Three players made their debut against Palestine, and Dyer, initially picked only for the China matches, stayed on with the squad in Japan and scored in the shootout.
Wood, now 34, has 45 goals in 93 internationals for New Zealand. Monday’s final would be his 95th cap if he plays.
After Japan, the All Whites return home for a pair of matches against India, at Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday 12 November and at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday 15 November. The Football Ferns, meanwhile, head to Panama City for two friendlies against Panama’s women’s team on 11 and 14 October.
A trophy in Tokyo would be a fine way to close out a long trip.
Can the All Whites beat Japan in Tokyo, and who should start in goal on Monday? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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