Good start but it’s only a start – Wood
Chris Wood might have scored the goal that sealed one of New Zealand’s biggest wins in international men’s football but he doesn’t want the OlyWhites to stop there.
His strike with 20 minutes to play was enough to give the predominantly under-24 side a 1-0 with over group B favourites South Korea in their opening match at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday night.
After the final whistle, the English Premier League star could be seen telling his younger team-mates a minimum standard had been set and he reinforced that on a Zoom call yesterday.
‘‘I see the potential of these players and their potential isn’t to win one game at the Olympics, their potential is to go a lot further,’’ Wood said.
‘‘Yes, enjoy that moment, enjoy something that’s historic, but remember we’re here to do a lot more than that. We’re here to create a lot more history than that.
‘‘In the moment you need to remember that this is the standard we’ve set. We want this level, and now more – we do not drop below that.’’
Wood’s goal came from the OlyWhites’ only shot on target against South Korea and one of the few shots they mustered. He said he was expecting them to generate more chances in their next two matches, the first of which is against Honduras tomorrow (kickoff 8pm, NZ time).
‘‘We had to adapt our game for this one and we did it fantastically. We were resolute, our defence was so strong, and we knew we could create on the counter-attack or going forward.
‘‘We would like to think we will be better in our next games.’’
Wood seemed unconcerned by an apparent handshake snub from a South Korean opponent.
After the final whistle, Wood went to shake hands with midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong but much to Wood’s surprise the South Korean declined.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, Dong-gyeong was just following Covid-19 protocols but Wood said he shook hands with every other player on the team and was surprised to be rejected.
‘‘Look, it’s just one of those things. He’s just disappointed about how the game’s gone. I don’t take anything away from it,’’ Wood said.
‘‘We move on.’’
A spokesperson for Korea Football Association told Yonhap News Agency that the South Korean players were told to avoid ‘‘unnecessary contact’’ with the OlyWhites before and after the match.