Oly Whites open Olympics with victory

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Author: Michael Burgess, NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2024, 7:02am

By Michael Burgess in Paris

New Zealand 2 Guinea 1

New Zealand has made an ideal start to the men’s football at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a 2-1 win over Guinea.

A positive result was really non-negotiable – given the games against host nation France and the United States to come. It echoed the victory over South Korea in Tokyo, which got the campaign off on the right foot. It wasn’t a wholly convincing performance from New Zealand but a top start nonetheless. It was a result built on defensive resilience, as they refused to yield.

A 25th minute goal from captain Matt Garbett was important, after a slalom run through the defence and an emphatic finish. It was also a show of mental resilience, after Garbett had missed a penalty two minutes earlier, dragging his shot wide of the left hand upright.

Ben Waine then got the winner, after Guinea had equalised midway through the second half. New Zealand were fortunate. They were guilty of sitting back after they took the lead, and Guinea appeared to have equalised 15 minutes after the break, with a superb run from their right full back, their first Olympic goal since 1968.

But that goal was struck out for a marginal offside in the buildup, which was tough on the African team Garbett was a standout, along with Finn Surman, while Sarpreet Singh had some nice touches.

New Zealand should have been further ahead, with Jay Herdman unable to connect with a Ben Waine cross. The Guinea wingers were coming down the flanks with pace, but the structure and discipline of the Kiwi side made the difference.

They were awarded a soft penalty – via VAR – but Garbett looked nervous and didn’t convert. Guinea finally got a deserved equaliser in the 72nd minute – with a shot from outside the area slipping past Paulsen. But this team is made of stern stuff, and just four minutes later they were back in front, with Ridley Bidois setting up Waine.

New Zealand began to tire in the last 10 minutes – in the 30 degree heat – before a ridiculous 11 minutes of added time.