The men’s national team saw their three-match winning run come to an end this morning against a strong Jordan side, losing 3-1 at the NYU Stadium, Abu Dhabi. 

The All Whites line-up saw a number of changes from November’s 2-0 win over Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finalists The Gambia. Both fullbacks, Liberato Cacace and Niko Kirwan, were unavailable this window. Goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic had to withdraw after testing positive for Covid-19 and midfield lynchpin Joe Bell was out with a minor injury. Bell was one of a number of players coming into camp straight from their off-season, a challenge Danny Hay had highlighted prior to the game that meant he would have to juggle the squad to manage player minutes as they got back to match fitness.  

The All Whites made a strong start, having the better of the opening 20 minutes and carving out a few half chances from Chris Wood and Sarpreet Singh, with Wood forcing the keeper to make a save in the 13th minute. 

Against the run of play, Jordan took the lead in the 21st minute. Forward Ali Olwan finding the net from a tight angle. 

9 minutes later it was level. Francis de Vries was clipped in the box to win a penalty. Chris Wood stepped up to score his 28th international goal, taking him within one of tying Vaughan Coveny’s all-time men’s goal scoring record. 
 

Chris Wood scores his 28th international goal | Photosport 

But only 3 minutes later it was Jordan’s turn from the spot. Francis de Vries’s accidental handball in the box gave Jordan the opportunity to retake the lead. Musa Al-Taamari confidently put the ball past goalkeeper Michael Woud to make it 2-1 to the Western Asian side, the score it remained until half-time. 

The second half started positively for the All Whites. A lively Logan Rogerson won a freekick just outside the box within a minute of the restart which Sarpreet Singh put just over the bar. 

Momentum shifted as the second half wore on as Jordan took more control of the game. The experience gained from the 22 international fixtures The Chivalrous played in 2021 told as the they generated the better of the chances. 

With 10 minutes to go Ali Olwan had his second of the game, a well taken finish to beat Michael Woud at his near post. 

A late bright spot for the All Whites saw attacker Alex Greive and defender Dalton Wilkins make their debut in the 82nd minute. The appearance caps off a great month for Northern League 2021 top scorer Greive who signed with Scottish Premiership side St Mirren earlier in January. 

After the game, Head Coach Danny Hay spoke to media about the performance:

"Everybody is obviously disappointed with the result. The manner in which we conceded a couple of the goals wasn’t great. But I still think we have taken a lot from that, there will be a lot of learnings and we’ll do a thorough review.

"It was great to see a couple of players make their debut [Alex Greive and Dalton Wilkins] and really show what they are capable of at this level. That was a real positive."

After a tough result the team now go into next week’s game against Uzbekistan with something to prove ahead of a potentially big year for the side. 

Article added: Saturday 29 January 2022