N.Z. moves to second round for Olympic play-off

Press, 3 October 1983, Page 23

N.Z. moves to second round for Olympic play-off

DAVID LEGGAT

For half an hour on Saturday, New Zealand looked set to produce a soccer scoreline along the lines of its World Cup record win of two years ago. But a bumbling, boring hour later, New Zealand had failed to score again against a very ordinary Chinese-Taipei and had to settle for a 2-0 win to advance to the second round of the Olympic Games qualifying series.

However, there was satisfaction in the fact that New Zealand has progressed without having to pick up points in the awkward away matches in Tokyo and Taipei. As the New Zealand coach, Allan Jones, said after the match, it is a sign

of improving attitudes towards the national soccer scene when criticism can be levelled at a team which has recorded an easy victory. But that cannot gloss over some of the indecisive play of the second half, when New Zealand failed to even create many scoring opportunities, let alone make use of them.

At least before half-time, there was a hatful of chances for the All Whites, as they have become known. Indeed, Steve Sumner, pressing forward from the midfield, could have had three in the first 10 minutes.

With Billy McClure, who was the most impressive New Zealand player, having

a big influence on proceedings as the chief playmaker, New Zealand totally dominated the first quarter of the match. The Taiwanese were reduced to hopeful counterattacks, but lacked the ball skills and inventive ability of the Japanese a week ago. Had the Japanese been offered the amount of room on the flanks as that presented to the Taiwanese, New Zealand could have had a battle. While McClure and Keith Mackay made inroads down the right, Grant Turner was aggressively pressuring from the left flank. New Zealand scored its first goal in the ninth minute. Sumner flicked on a McClure cross for Allan Boath to send his diving header beyond the

Chinese-Taipei goal-keeper, Lin Ching-wang. When Boath set up Turner for the second goal in the 18th minute, New Zealand was effectively home, so weak and spasmodic were the Taiwanese attacks.

Boath sent an intelligent through ball behind Turner’s marker in the old inside left position. Turner fired his left foot shot first time into the roof of the net in spectacular fashion.

Lin Ching-wang produced an athletic save to pluck a Ken Cresswell header out of the air, and nearer halftime did well to turn a McClure volley past the post. But then New Zealand went off the boil. Possibly it was through being overambitious, or an uncon-

scious easing off. Whatever the reason, New Zealand never rescaled those heady heights of the opening third in the remainder of the match. Mackay’s ball control let him down, while Ron Armstrong at left back, had a woeful afternoon.

The problems were compounded by Mr Jones’s halftime substitution of Michael Groom for Armstrong. Groom played in the centre of the midfield, but struggled to fit into the pattern. Boath moved back to sweeper behind Ricki Herbert and Ceri Evans. The effect was supposed to have had Adrian Elrick at right back pushing well forward with Evans covering the vacant left side. However, Turner, through no fault of Evans, spent most of the second half at left back, a great waste of potentially New Zealand’s most threatening attacker. Unfortunately the second half also contained some reckless and childish* antics. The Taiwanese were not the only culprits in this — one New Zealander kicked the ball away when his team was awarded a free-kick.

It was a poor advertisement for soccer, but the frustrations of the New Zealanders were understandable. As often happens, they were dragged down to the level of the opposition. Three of the Taiwanese warrant exemption from that category — Chen Sing was a capable sweeper, playing behind the back four defenders; Tsai Hongyee was a skilful midfielder, and Duh Deng-chyan had his moments on the left wing.

After the match, the two dressing rooms told a story. The Taiwanese seemed quite happy with the outcome, although it is difficult to understand why, and the room was filled with a chorus of laughing, babbling voices.

The New Zealanders were a subdued group, doubtless delighted to have qualified, but disappointed in the manner that success had been achieved, apart from that memorable first half hour.