After losing 3-1 to Egypt in their World Cup Group G encounter at BC Place on Sunday, New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley bemoaned his team’s subpar performance in the second half. They now need to defeat Belgium to have a hope of making it to the knockout stage.
After being pegged back twice by Iran in their opening 2-2 draw, Bazeley’s team seized a 1-0 lead in Vancouver before Mohamed Salah turned on the style in the second half, scoring one goal and setting up another to give Egypt their first World Cup victory.
Egypt leads the group with four points after drawing 1-1 with Belgium in their first match, while New Zealand is at the bottom with just one. Following their 0-0 tie, Belgium and Iran now have two points.
“It’s frustrating,” Bazeley remarked. “In the first half, we performed incredibly well. In the first half, we felt like we were controlling possession most of the time, scored a fantastic goal, and were at ease. We weren’t actually suffering any harm.We had a good conversation at halftime and examined a few areas where we could improve. However, we were unable to replicate the pace and caliber of our performance in the second half.
The Kiwis had taken the lead in the fifteenth minute thanks to a goal from defender Finn Surman, but Egypt stormed out of the halftime break, and it was only a matter of time until Mostafa Zico equalized.
Before Mahmoud Trezeguet scored their third goal, Salah gave them the lead.”Egypt emerged with a distinct mindset and accelerated the pace,” stated Bazeley. “They performed admirably in the second half, but losing a game is annoying. At the end, we might be celebrating on the field.
“They have some incredibly talented players, and Salah scores a goal with his left foot, something I’ve seen him do for ten years. Overall, though, I believe we did a great job defending players like him for the majority of the game.
Despite Belgium’s draws in their first two games, New Zealand forward Elijah Just told Reuters that they will not undervalue the group favorites. One way to look at it is that, even though Belgium is likely the favorite to advance out of the group, the draws may not be so good for them,” he stated.
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