All Whites punished for failure to take chances

Scoring goals was always going to be a worry for the young All Whites squad in India for the Intercontinental Cup, and so it proved as they were beaten 2-1 by Kenya in their opener yesterday.

Coach Fritz Schmid told it straight after the match in Mumbai, where a Sarpreet Singh special put his side in front near the end of the first half, only for Kenya to equalise almost immediately, then pounce on a mistake to score a winner with 20 minutes to play.

‘‘You can’t have domination, you can’t have a high number of scoring opportunities, you can’t actually have a grip on the game, and then go away empty-handed,’’ he said.

‘‘As harsh or as bitter as it may be, that’s what we have to learn from and that’s where we have to take our next steps.’’

There was not a lot of quality on display, as was to be expected in a match between two teams missing many of their top players – more than half a dozen in the All Whites’ case. That was exemplified by the All Whites’ finishing ability – or lack thereof – which had been a concern since their squad was announced.

Leading the line was Alex Rufer, while Matt Ridenton and Jai Ingham were two of the attacking midfielders providing support. Together, those three had previously scored seven goals – none of them Rufer’s – in 7000 minutes of professional or international football.

Singh was the fourth member of their attacking quartet, and with four goals in 800 such minutes, all of them before turning 20, he was always the most likely to make something happen, even while stuck out on the left, with Ridenton playing as the central attacking midfielder.

It was no surprise that he drifted inward before scoring, with his curling effort from the edge of the box in the 42nd minute giving the All Whites a deserved lead, considering the volume of chances they had created.

As for what happened after that, Schmid said it best: ‘‘They took our offers and they accepted our invitations to score in certain crucial moments of the game’’.

The All Whites will now look forward to Wednesday (2.30am NZT), when they play Chinese Taipei, who were thumped 5-0 by India in their opening match.