New Zealand 5-0 India: Key takeaways from international friendly
The All Whites defeated the Blue Tigers 5-0 in the first friendly.
The Indian football team were torn to shreds by New Zealand in their latest FIFA friendly away from home. The Blue Tigers looked clueless and were taken to the cleaners by the All Whites at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday.
It was the first matchup between the two sides on New Zealand’s soil and the home side left no stones unturned in stamping their authority on this game.
The fact that New Zealand were too much for India to handle on a lot of occasions speaks volume about what all has to change in the setup. While it was a great experience for the players to go up against such high profile names in world football, India should have tried to do better than being on the receiving end of a 5-0 defeat.
On that note, let us take a look at the key takeaways from this fixture.
India’s defensive woes continue
Catch Every Update, Anytime, Anywhere
New Zealand exposed India’s vulnerabilities to perfection. They outplayed the Blue Tigers with their physicality and technicality and emerged victorious with a scoreline of 5-0.
The All Whites disrupted all of Khalid Jamil’s defensive planning and caused problems from all ends of the pitch. India failed to clear their lines and win important second balls on multiple occasions and conceded five goals in the process.
The Indian defenders panicked every time the ball entered India’s penalty box which allowed New Zealand to calmly take advantage of the situation and find the back of the net. They failed to track back on time and win important duels which resulted in New Zealand winning the ball in key positions and creating attacking moves.
Vishal Kaith’s penalty save
While the entire game was nothing short of a horror movie for India football fans, Vishal Kaith’s brilliant penalty save was the silver lining for India.
New Zealand were awarded a spot kick in the second half after Akash Mishra was found guilty of a handball. Bill Tuiloma stepped up to take the penalty and Vishal Kaith extended himself at the right time and dived towards his right to deny New Zealand another goal.
He made another on the rebound and neutralised the danger. Vishal’s save came at a very important point in the game given the kind of pressure the Blue Tigers were under. The save highlighted Kaith’s ability to perform under pressure and will boost his confidence and morale heading into the second fixture.
India’s inefficient attacking unit
Another day, another disappointing outing by the Blue Tigers at the top. India’s attacking unit lacked a proper gameplan and did not know what to do once they reached the final third.
They lacked the cutting edge which came back to haunt them throughout the entire game. The Indian forwards were just not able to retain their shape and penetrate through New Zealand’s backline making it a one-sided affair in the favor of the hosts.
India brought in some of the most in-form players from the Indian Super League (ISL), but none of them managed to capitalise on their individual brilliance.
The forwards became isolated when they entered New Zealand’s half with no runners to support them which eventually resulted in New Zealand winning back the possession.
What was the result of India’s first friendly against New Zealand?
India suffered a 5-0 defeat against New Zealand in their first international friendly.
Who scored for New Zealand against India?
Jesse Randall scored twice, while Bijoy Varghese (own goal), Chris Wood and Lachlan Bayliss were also on the scoresheet.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.