Kosta Barbarouses scored in the 64th minute to lift New Zealand to a 2-2 draw with El Salvador in a friendly on Wednesday.
Rafael Burgos had twice put El Salvador ahead. His opener came in the 13th minute when he lobbed the goalkeeper from outside the penalty area.
Defender Ian Hogg equalized for the All Whites in the 28th minute, playing a one-two before driving a shot past the goalkeeper.
Burgos added a second in the 56th with a shot that went off New Zealand defender Michael Boxall’s knee and inside the far post.
Russia-based Barbarouses pounced on a rebound off Shane Smeltz’s saved shot and floated a shot into the right of the net.
New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert was pleased with what he saw from his team.
“We got a number of senior players that aren’t here,” Hebert said. “Right now it’s just about building that depth and building that quality. We had more shots on goal tonight and came back twice against a quality team.”
El Salvador coach Ruben Israel said his team is also incorporating new faces and struggled to break down New Zealand’s defense.
“New Zealand defended the whole field with all 11 players, and did not give us space to create more plays,” he said.
Israel gave credit to Nelson Wilfredo Bonilla Sanchez, who was playing with the national team for the first time, for helping to create opportunities for Burgos.
El Salvador face Moldova tomorrow in Dallas and start the semi-final round of World Cup qualifying on June 8 against Costa Rica in a CONCACAF Group B match in San Jose, Costa Rica.
New Zealand take on Honduras in another friendly tomorrow in Dallas and face Fiji on June 2 in an Oceania Group B match in the Solomon Islands.
HOMETOWN ZERO: Fans relished the fall of former Brewer-turned-Cubs manager Craig Counsell, as Milwaukee braces to face the Dodgers, who in 2018 denied them a pennant Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy has referred to his team as the “Average Joes,” a nod to their small-market status and lack of big names, but after they beat rivals the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the decisive fifth game of their National League Division Series (NLDS) on Saturday night, Murphy decided it was time for an upgrade. “You can call them the average Joes, but I say they’re the above-average Joes,” he said. The Brewers relied on contributions from just about every player to get past the Cubs. Andrew Vaughn hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning, and William Contreras and Brice
The Ministry of Sports on Wednesday night called for the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) to address issues in Taiwanese soccer after national manager Huang Che-ming on Tuesday resigned following Taiwan’s elimination in AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Taiwan on Tuesday were thrashed 6-1 by Thailand in their Group D tie at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Taiwan finished with no points, after losing all four of their matches, eliminating them from qualifying for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Huang made his surprise resignation at a post-match news conference, following three losses since he took over the team from English coach Gary White in August. Huang
Mexico’s teenage playmaker Gilberto Mora has lit up the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile as he basks in the limelight afforded by the absences of Barcelona and Real Madrid stars Lamine Yamal and Franco Mastantuono. “I don’t know if I’m the biggest star, and I’m not really interested in that. I think you can always give more,” 16-year-old Mora said before Mexico’s 4-1 win against host nation Chile in the round-of-16 on Tuesday, in which he provided the assist for the opening goal. Next on Mora’s schedule is a quarter-final clash against Argentina this morning Taiwan time, but after
It might not have been Xander Schauffele’s most prestigious tournament victory, but it should be the American’s most memorable. Schauffele yesterday shot a seven-under 64 to win the Baycurrent Classic in Japan — a country where his Taiwan-born mother grew up and where he has many connections. Schauffele, who shot 19-under 265 over four rounds at the Yokohama Country Club, finished one shot ahead of American Max Greyserman, who was also the runner-up at the event a year earlier as he chases his first PGA Tour title. When she was four years old, Schauffele’s mother, Chen Ping-yi, moved to Japan, where her Taiwanese
RSS