Paraguay ended New Zealand’s long unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory in a friendly yesterday.
New Zealand were the only unbeaten team at the World Cup — drawing three group matches while failing to reach the second round — and extended that streak with a 1-1 draw on Saturday against Honduras in their first match since.
However Paraguay, 19th in FIFA rankings, ended 49th-ranked New Zealand’s charmed run with two first-half goals in a dominant performance.
PHOTO: AFP
Nelson Valdez scored from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute with Osvaldo Martinez extending the lead five minutes later.
New Zealand were without captain, Blackburn Rovers central defender Ryan Nelsen, and Turkish-based striker Shane Smeltz, who were both injured.
The New Zealand defense was lax and disorganized and in the absence of Smeltz, New Zealand lacked a sharp focus for its attacking play.
Paraguay in contrast were seldom tested in defense — goalkeeper and captain but their attack was slick and constantly threatening. Valdez was the fulcrum of the offense but Enrique Vera, Dario Veron and Martinez were also dangerous and inventive.
New Zealand showed a lack of concentration and composure in the first half of a match played in front of 16,000 fans. They tightened their defense in the second period but, as with the match against Honduras, failed to capitalize on a handful of scoring chances.
“I guess that wraps up 2010 with a tinge of sadness but there have been some great emotions,” All Whites coach Ricki Herbert said.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set