New Zealand’s return to the World Cup stage next year would mark the end of a long road for a number of the nation’s players who have carried the regrets from a string of past qualifying failures.
On Monday, their relief was palpable as the All Whites booked their ticket to the finals in North America with a 3-0 win against New Caledonia in Auckland.
Few would have felt as emotional as veteran winger Kosta Barbarouses, who came off the bench to score the second goal and set up the last for teammate Elijah Just.
Photo: AFP
Warning: Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your health
Three years ago, Barbarouses was sent off for a rash tackle during a 1-0 playoff defeat by Costa Rica in Doha that ended New Zealand’s hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup.
“I think about it most nights, to be honest,” the 35-year-old said of the red card. “No joke, it crosses my mind at some point quite frequently. Whether my red card affected the overall outcome of the game, deep down I feel like it might have.”
“I’ve been carrying that for a while,” he said. “So to be able to put that aside well and truly now I think I’ll feel a whole lot better about the situation now.”
Barbarouses has featured in five New Zealand qualifying campaigns, with three ending in playoff defeats.
He played a part in New Zealand’s last qualification for the World Cup in 2010, but missed out on a place in the squad for the finals in South Africa.
Teammate Michael Boxall shared in Barbarouses’ heartbreak during multiple qualifying campaigns, including the 2-0 loss to Peru in Lima that ended their hopes of returning to the World Cup at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Prior to his 55th international on Monday, the 36-year-old centerback had never scored for New Zealand, but his thumping header on the hour-mark at Eden Park put the hosts in front and settled their nerves.
“When the goal went in, I think it was a bit more relief than anything else,” he said. “Just seeing everyone’s reaction with the ball at the back of the net was a pretty cool feeling.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS