Tagged with: Confederations Cup
It was a funny old tour. Beginning with some lofty expectations of hitting up Russia with an eye to snatching a result or two, by the time we got to the Confeds the trash we’d seen in the two friendlies pretty much ruined any hope of that.
And with that the Confederations Cup tour is over. It concluded with the All Whites’ toughest test and also their biggest defeat. Probably not a coincidence, that. It was Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo
It is not entirely clear what happened in between the All Whites’ game against Mexico and the rest of their Confederations Cup tour... but wasn't it great to watch?
That was probably about what we should’ve expected. A couple goals, a comfortable loss but with a couple half-chances that might have changed something.
Man… that kinda sucked. Sloppy at the back, overrun in the middle and couldn’t hardly get a thing going in attack. Too many long balls, not enough controlled possession. Some dumb mistakes and some terrible touches.
The All Whites have confirmed their squad for the Confederations Cup and… it’s exactly the same as the squad they already have, preparing for the Confederations Cup. Sweet as, that means nobody tweaked an ankle or said anything mean about Huddo’s mum.
It’s probably safe to say that the match against Portugal will be the All Whites’ last at the Confederations Cup but don't just assume they'll come out and thrash us.
The Confederations Cup marks a rare opportunity to play against the world’s best as a reward for having beaten Papua New Guinea on penalties. Part of that deal means we have to play Mexico... again.
The Confederations Cup is pretty much a dress rehearsal for the next World Cup host. That would be Russia and the All Whites were lucky enough to draw the Russians in their group – although the Russians were also lucky enough to draw the New Zealanders.