OPPONENT WATCH - New Zealand - Recent results, players to watch out
ABOUT TWO WEEKS from now, the Indian men's senior national team will be in action in Mumbai. India play hosts to New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Kenya in the four-nation Intercontinental Cup.
While Kenya are looking to field a second string side, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei are more or less bringing in a competitive squad for this tournament.
New Zealand, currently ranked 133 in the world and also the top ranked team in the OFC (Oceania Football Confederation).They have qualified for the World Cup finals on two occasions.
In the below section, let us take a closer look at the recent performances at the international stage.
|
1 |
31st March 2015 |
Friendly |
South Korea |
0 – 1 |
Lost |
|
2 |
7th September 2015 |
Friendly |
Myanmar |
1 – 1 |
Draw |
|
3 |
12th November 2015 |
Friendly |
Oman |
1 – 0 |
Won |
|
4 |
28th May 2016 |
OFC Nations Cup |
Fiji |
3 – 1 |
Won |
|
5 |
31st May 2016 |
OFC Nations Cup |
Vanuata |
5 – 0 |
Won |
|
6 |
4th June 2016 |
OFC Nations Cup |
Solomon Islands |
1 – 0 |
Won |
|
7 |
8th June 2016 |
OFC Nations Cup |
New Caledonia |
1 – 0 |
Won |
|
8 |
11th June 2016 |
OFC Nations Cup |
Papa New Guinea |
0 - 0 (4-2) |
Won |
|
9 |
8th October 2016 |
Friendly |
Mexico |
1 – 2 |
Lost |
|
10 |
11th October 2016 |
Friendly |
USA |
1 – 1 |
Draw |
|
11 |
12th November 2016 |
World Cup Qualification |
New Caledonia |
2 – 0 |
Won |
|
12 |
15th November 2016 |
World Cup Qualification |
New Caledonia |
0 – 0 |
Draw |
|
13 |
25th March 2017 |
World Cup Qualification |
Fiji |
2 – 0 |
Won |
|
14 |
28th March 2017 |
World Cup Qualification |
Fiji |
2 – 0 |
Won |
|
15 |
2nd June 2017 |
Friendly |
Northern Ireland |
0 – 1 |
Lost |
|
16 |
12th June 2017 |
Friendly |
Belarus |
0 -1 |
Lost |
|
17 |
17th June 2017 |
Confederations cup |
Russia |
0 – 2 |
Lost |
|
18 |
21st June 2017 |
Confederations cup |
Mexico |
1 -2 |
Lost |
|
19 |
24th June 2017 |
Confederations cup |
Portugal |
0 – 4 |
Lost |
|
20 |
1st September 2017 |
World Cup Qualification |
Solomon Islands |
6 -1 |
Won |
|
21 |
5th September 2017 |
World Cup Qualification |
Solomon Islands |
2 – 2 |
Draw |
|
22 |
6th October 2017 |
Kirin Challenge Cup |
Japan |
1 -2 |
Lost |
|
23 |
11th November 2017 |
World Cup Qualification |
Peru |
0 – 0 |
Draw |
|
24 |
15th November 2017 |
World Cup Qualification |
Peru |
0 -2 |
Lost |
|
25 |
24th March 2018 |
Friendly |
Canada |
0 - 1 |
Lost |
Some of the players to watch out for and their records from late 2015
| Player | Club | Goals scored since 2015 | Position | Age | Experience | Notes |
| Christopher Grant Wood | Burnley (ENG) | 11 | Forward | 26 | English 1st Tier | 19 PL starts with 9 goals in 17-18 and 9 PL starts with 1 goal in14-15 (Leicester) |
| Ryan Jared Thomas | PEC Zwolle (NETH) | 4 | Midfielder | 23 | NZ Tier 1, Dutch Tier 1 | 2 Goals against Ajax |
| Marco Rodrigo Rojas | SC Heerenveen (NETH) | 3 | Winger | 26 | NZ tier 2, A-League, German Tier 2, Swiss Tier 1, Dutch Tier 1 | 30 A-League goals and 5 goals in the Swiss Super League |
| Konstantinos Barbarouses | Melbourne Victory (AUS) | 2 | Winger | 28 | A-League, Russian Tier 2, Greek Tier 1 | Scored the winning goal at the A-League Grand final |
| Michael Ryan McGlinchey | Unattached | 2 | Midfielder | 31 | Scottish Tier 1, A-League, Japan Tier 1 | He has a total of 5 international goals, most notable one against China (2011) |
| Rory Michael Fallon | Retired | 2 | Forward | 36 | English Tier 2, Scottish Tier 1 | |
| Myer Stephan Bevan | Husqvarna FF (SWE) | 1 | Forward | 21 | NZ Tier 1, Swedish Tier 3 | On loan to the Swedish club from an MLS club |
| Themistoklis Tzimopoulos | PAS Giannina | 1 | Defensive Mid, CB | 32 | Greek Tier 1 | |
| Luke Adams | Unattached | 1 | Centre Back | 24 | NZ Tier 1, A-League, Swedish Tier 3 | |
| Monty Mark Patterson | Ipswich Town | 1 | Forward | 21 | English Tier 5, A-League | Second highest international Goalscorer in NZ with 58 |
| Shane Edward Smeltz | Retired | 1 | Striker | 36 | A-League, English Tier 7, Turkish Tier 1, Malaysian Tier 1, Indonesian Tier 1 | OFC u17 Championship Golden Boot Winner |
New Zealand kick off their campaign in the Intercontinental Cup on June 2 against Kenya.
