N.Z. Beaten, 5-3, In Opening Soccer Game

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31519, 6 November 1967, Page 14

N.Z. Beaten, 5-3, In Opening Soccer Game

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) SAIGON. The Australian inside-right, A. Abonyi, scored a hat-trick when New Zealand went down, 3-5, to Australia in its opening match of South Vietnam’s National Day soccer tournament in Saigon yesterday.

The game was played on a quagmire, which made skilful soccer impossible and combined with the heavy humidity to tire the players. Australia, with far better striking forwards, thoroughly deserved its win. But the New Zealanders battled tremendously hard. They cut back Australia’s early 2-0 lead to be level 2-2 at half-time. They again equalised after Australia had scored an early goal in the second half. However, there was an element of luck in all three of New Zealand's goals. Players In Dispute The first, scored by R. Mears, rebounded off the crossbar. The Australians claimed the ball hit the side of the bar, hut the linesman signalled that it had touched the underside and the referee awarded a goal. Both of the others were own goals—the first off the Australian centre-half, R. van Alphen, and the other a deflection off the left-half, A. Westwater. Australia began the match in fine style and after seven minutes the centre-forward. J. Warren, engineered a good midfield break. He passed to the inside-left, R. Baartz, who weaved past two defenders and drove the ball home from 15 yards. ) Six minutes later, after a period of strong Australian

pressure, Warren accepted a cross and scored from close range. Abonyi, whose hat-trick a week ago enabled Melbourne to beat Apia in the Australian Cup final, was the second half hero. After six minutes of the second half he accepted a pass just outside the penalty area and hit the ball low, hard and true. In the seventyfifth minute, Warren dropped a perfect cross kick on to Abonyi’s boot and from pointblank range the inside-right guided the ball in. With six minutes to go, Baartz was upended in the New Zealand penalty area. Abonyi took the kick from the spot and had it in the net before the New Zealand goalkeeper, N. Seibert, made a move. The New Zealand team was: N. Seibert: C. Latimour, G. Lake; B. Turner, T. McNab, P. Rennell; S. Nemett, R. Mears, C. Shaw, J. Ferrier, J. Legg. E. Thomas and A. Gowans replaced Ferrier and Shaw during the match. South Vietnam Wins Among the eight nations in the tournament. New Zealand and Australia are in section A. In the match between the other two teams in this group, South Vietnam had to struggle to beat Singapore, 2-0, on the opening day on Saturday. The Vietnamese, although fast and clever with the ball, showed little initiative in front of goal. Singapore looked the more threatening team until its condition failed. Vietnam went ahead seven minutes from time when Singapore had been reduced

to 10 men, and Immediatelyadded a second. The goals were scored by Phung (centreforward) and Cang (rightwing). Stout defence by Singapore’s centre-half, Ten Teng Yee, had earlier held the smaller but more agile Vietnamese in check. In section B, Malaysia won a bad-tempered match, 3-2, against Thailand on Saturday and yesterday, South Korea defeated Hong Kong. 1-0. Penalty Awarded Malaysia got the winning goal in sensational circumstances. Late in the game, played in heavy rain, there was a melee in the Thai goalmouth. The Vietnamese referee, well behind the play and his vision obscured by the rain, asked Mr A. Boskovic, of Australia, one of the linesmen, what had happened. Mr Boskovic awarded Malaysia a penalty, from which tie winning goal was scored. Because of the mud, it was difficult to assess the ability of the two teams. On the day, both looked strong and aggressive, but with few refinements. Yesterday the score did not reflect the Koreans’ dominance. Their fast and superblyfit players easily won everywhere but in the goal-mouth. Each team has now played once. Australia and South Vietnam lead section A and South Korea and Malaysia lead section B. The top two in each section, after a roundrobin series, will enter the semi-finals. New Zealand’s next match will be against Singapore on Wednesday.