Paulsen keeps NZ hopes alive AT A GLANCE
New Zealand have kept their hopes of advancing at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup alive with a 1-0 win over Canada in their final group match – but they will need a helping hand or two to make it.
Matt Garbett put the Kiwis in front with a swerving free kick midway through the first half at Estadio Bezerrao in Brasilia, while goalkeeper Alex Paulsen made three crucial saves in the second to keep the Canadians out yesterday.
New Zealand finished third in group A as a result, with three points to their name, but will have to wait at least 24 hours to find out whether that is enough for them to advance as one of the four best third-placed teams.
They have a goal difference of -3, after conceding twice in the final 10 minutes against 10-man Brazil in their second match, but there are a handful of scenarios where that could still be enough to put them through.
Garbett’s free kick fooled Canadian keeper Eleais Himaras, who dived to his right as the ball swerved left and into the back of the net in the 27th minute.
It was the Ole Academy product’s second goal of the tournament, where he has been the most impressive of the Kiwis on attack.
Jose Figueira’s side found opportunities hard to come by for most of the match after that, while Paulsen bounced back strong after making a costly error in their previous outing.
First he was called on to deny Jacen Russell-Rowe, then Kamron Habibullah, who were both able to get shots off from point-blank range in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Canada thought they had equalised through Jayden Nelson on the hour mark, but the video assistant referee intervened to rule the goal out because of a marginal offside offence that went unnoticed early in the buildup.
Paulsen’s third big save prevented substitute Sean Rea from crushing Kiwi dreams with 10 minutes to play, while Garbett couldn’t put the game to bed down the other end when presented with an excellent opportunity just inside the box, sending his shot straight (Matt Garbett 27min) 1-0. at Himaras.
The triumph was the fourth by a New Zealand men’s team at a Fifa Under-17 World Cup, joining a 2-1 win over Paraguay in 2015, a 4-1 win over Uzbekistan in 2011 and a 2-1 win over Poland on home soil in 1999.
Australia have already secured one of the four places in the round of 16 on offer to third-placed sides, after beating Nigeria 2-1 earlier yesterday to finish with four points and a goal difference of 0 in group B.
For New Zealand to advance, it would likely require the Netherlands to beat the United States by a single goal, or for that group D match to end in a draw, and for Argentina to beat Tajikistan and Spain to beat or draw with Cameroon in group E.
Mexico should beat the Solomon Islands to ensure the third-placed team in group F finishes with four points, whether it’s them or Paraguay, while Chile and South Korea sit in second and third in group C with three points apiece ahead of their meeting on the final match day in group C.
Chile currently have a goal difference of 0, while South Korea’s is -1, so a three-goal Chile win or a four-goal South Korea win would put the losing team behind New Zealand.
New Zealand have previously made the round of 16 on two occasions, losing 1-0 to Brazil in 2015, courtesy of a stoppage time penalty, and 6-0 to Japan in 2011.
New Zealand 1 Canada 0. HT: