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All Whites vs Chile | Mon 30th March | 7:00pm (NZT) | Eden Park

147 replies · 4,670 views

6 days ago

nixin wrote:
If the commentator was right, a shirt pull (in this set of matches at least) is an automatic yellow. I hope this rule catches on. Illegal restraint is a blight on the game.
Good energy tonight. Randell and Old really clicked, but nobody really had a bad game.
My pre game post 'hit list' (Payne, WaIne, McCowatt and Kosta) achieved two goals, an assist and a sending off! Kosta was involved in both yellows and IMO made the most of them
Good to see some form from Payne and Kosta in particular, even if against 10. Hope it lasts.

Im happy to have all shirt pulls a yellow card. But they have to be consistent....every pull should be carded. Players just need to learn.
What was with VAR? While the offside was reviewed I put out the recycling, took the dog for a walk and they still hadnt made up their minds.
Really poor match commentary on FIFA+. Some Brit who couldnt be bothered. Called the yellow on Payne not Bell, said our left back was McCowatt not Old. Mentioned EPL about 100 times. A very amateur performance

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6 days ago

Yes, that VAR wait was interminable.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe... lets have a clean sheet

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6 days ago · edited 6 days ago · History

well that was fun!
change in tactics from Baze and some clear intent fom the players. Kosta, Randall, Bell, Old, and the two CB's all stood up to be counted and made for some tough decisions in the coming weeks.
Old probably pushed McGarry out of the squad as he is easily now #2/#3 LB behind Libby and maybe de Vries (if fit).
RB remains an issue, but if Payne can play like he did last night then we have no issues there!
Kosta and Waine scoring as they did gave me hope that if Wood is injured at WC we have options.

I'll admit to not being Bell's biggest fan - but he made a massive difference last night. The Chileans dont like his physical style and I think that's what lead to their retaliation early on which in turn lead to the red card - which was totally deserved. So often refs turn a blind eye to the should grabs but if what we saw last night is the standard we'll get in July I'm happy.
The big decision for Baze now is who he puts at CB, and who is your starting keeper. Paulsen offers better distribution from the back which opens up our play, both he and Crocombe are decent enough shot stoppers.
At CB is it gonna be a Surman and Bindon pairing or will one of them make way for Boxall?

Queenslander 3x a year.

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6 days ago

That was a much needed result. A great all round performance from the All Whites.

Would love to see Paulsen as our number 1, he takes so much pressure off our back line since he's so comfortable with ball at feet, and his distribution is great.

Everyone who was on the fringes of the 23/26 man WC squad put in a strong performance.

Now I'm more excited for my travels to the WC!

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6 days ago

Thoughts from that game...
- Paulsen - His distribution is so much better than Croc's - who feel like he just lumps it up field.
- Randall looks sharp - but needs to work on that final pass and option taking.
- Old a much better option at LB. Should be our #2 there now.
- Payne had his best game in months.. maybe years. He was immense.
- Kosta brought energy and composure. He's 100% on the plane now.
- Bell is amazing!!

It felt like Chilie gave up at about 2-0 down. It was wet.. nothing to really play for. (Note - I didn't see their goal).

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6 days ago

theprof wrote:
well that was fun!
change in tactics from Baze and some clear intent fom the players. Kosta, Randall, Bell, Old, and the two CB's all stood up to be counted and made for some tough decisions in the coming weeks.
Old probably pushed McGarry out of the squad as he is easily now #2/#3 LB behind Libby and maybe de Vries (if fit).
RB remains an issue, but if Payne can play like he did last night then we have no issues there!
Kosta and Waine scoring as they did gave me hope that if Wood is injured at WC we have options.

I'll admit to not being Bell's biggest fan - but he made a massive difference last night. The Chileans dont like his physical style and I think that's what lead to their retaliation early on which in turn lead to the red card - which was totally deserved. So often refs turn a blind eye to the should grabs but if what we saw last night is the standard we'll get in July I'm happy.
The big decision for Baze now is who he puts at CB, and who is your starting keeper. Paulsen offers better distribution from the back which opens up our play, both he and Crocombe are decent enough shot stoppers.
At CB is it gonna be a Surman and Bindon pairing or will one of them make way for Boxall?

It is nice to have a problem like that - who do you play on the left.
I am not convinced you can completely leave McGarry out. He does not have the delivery of De Vries, and Old is a better attacking player than McGarry at this level. But McGarry is versatile and would be an excellent backup option to have.

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6 days ago

Mainland FC wrote:
theprof wrote:
well that was fun!
change in tactics from Baze and some clear intent fom the players. Kosta, Randall, Bell, Old, and the two CB's all stood up to be counted and made for some tough decisions in the coming weeks.
Old probably pushed McGarry out of the squad as he is easily now #2/#3 LB behind Libby and maybe de Vries (if fit).
RB remains an issue, but if Payne can play like he did last night then we have no issues there!
Kosta and Waine scoring as they did gave me hope that if Wood is injured at WC we have options.

I'll admit to not being Bell's biggest fan - but he made a massive difference last night. The Chileans dont like his physical style and I think that's what lead to their retaliation early on which in turn lead to the red card - which was totally deserved. So often refs turn a blind eye to the should grabs but if what we saw last night is the standard we'll get in July I'm happy.
The big decision for Baze now is who he puts at CB, and who is your starting keeper. Paulsen offers better distribution from the back which opens up our play, both he and Crocombe are decent enough shot stoppers.
At CB is it gonna be a Surman and Bindon pairing or will one of them make way for Boxall?

It is nice to have a problem like that - who do you play on the left.
I am not convinced you can completely leave McGarry out. He does not have the delivery of De Vries, and Old is a better attacking player than McGarry at this level. But McGarry is versatile and would be an excellent backup option to have.

How many LB do you take in a squad of 26 though? Anything more than 2 + a player who can cover is gonna shortchange you elsewhere.

Cacace a lock, Old there to play LW and showed his LB credentials last night. Leaves De Vries or McGarry, and I think de Vries is a stronger option. If you take Cacace, de Vries, Old and McGarry when does McGarry get gametime outside of a very specific injury crisis?

Sucks for McGarry but he's playing in what's potentially our best position depth wise.

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6 days ago

Poor game off the field for Chile too. One of their supporters tried to jump the hoarding but slipped on his final step and slide into the metal hoarding. He then jumped over only to get rugby tackled by security.

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6 days ago

saw that on the coverage very briefly. hilarious

Queenslander 3x a year.

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6 days ago

Elemenop wrote:
Thoughts from that game...
- Paulsen - His distribution is so much better than Croc's - who feel like he just lumps it up field.
- Randall looks sharp - but needs to work on that final pass and option taking.
- Old a much better option at LB. Should be our #2 there now.
- Payne had his best game in months.. maybe years. He was immense.
- Kosta brought energy and composure. He's 100% on the plane now.
- Bell is amazing!!

It felt like Chilie gave up at about 2-0 down. It was wet.. nothing to really play for. (Note - I didn't see their goal).

Yeah it did feel that once the AWs got that 2nd goal, it really became damage limitation for the Chileans. Down to 10 men (one of their best young gun players sent off at that), wet night, young inexperienced side and a long way from home. They would have felt a bit that they world was against them, and yes really what was there to play for.

So the scoreline of very limited relevance to the World Cup. I think it was the first time since March 2014 and a Wood double against Japan, that the AWs have managed more than 1 goal against a top 60 ranked nation. If correct that's 12 years!! Major caveat being the red card.

Playing Iran, Egypt and obviously Belgium will be very different.

Still a massive confidence boost, and a very important win against Friday's dud effort.

Hopefully NZF can find a similar level, beatable opponent as the first warmup game in the States. So the AWs can get some more belief with a potentially positive result. Because lets be honest the England game will be a tough day out.

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6 days ago

theprof wrote:
saw that on the coverage very briefly. hilarious

Then Security marched him past the AWs zone on the way to the exit, which of course was met with a respectful silence (yeah, right).

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6 days ago · edited 6 days ago · History

Maaaaaaatt wrote:
Mainland FC wrote:
theprof wrote:
well that was fun!
change in tactics from Baze and some clear intent fom the players. Kosta, Randall, Bell, Old, and the two CB's all stood up to be counted and made for some tough decisions in the coming weeks.
Old probably pushed McGarry out of the squad as he is easily now #2/#3 LB behind Libby and maybe de Vries (if fit).
RB remains an issue, but if Payne can play like he did last night then we have no issues there!
Kosta and Waine scoring as they did gave me hope that if Wood is injured at WC we have options.

I'll admit to not being Bell's biggest fan - but he made a massive difference last night. The Chileans dont like his physical style and I think that's what lead to their retaliation early on which in turn lead to the red card - which was totally deserved. So often refs turn a blind eye to the should grabs but if what we saw last night is the standard we'll get in July I'm happy.
The big decision for Baze now is who he puts at CB, and who is your starting keeper. Paulsen offers better distribution from the back which opens up our play, both he and Crocombe are decent enough shot stoppers.
At CB is it gonna be a Surman and Bindon pairing or will one of them make way for Boxall?

It is nice to have a problem like that - who do you play on the left.
I am not convinced you can completely leave McGarry out. He does not have the delivery of De Vries, and Old is a better attacking player than McGarry at this level. But McGarry is versatile and would be an excellent backup option to have.
How many LB do you take in a squad of 26 though? Anything more than 2 + a player who can cover is gonna shortchange you elsewhere.

Cacace a lock, Old there to play LW and showed his LB credentials last night. Leaves De Vries or McGarry, and I think de Vries is a stronger option. If you take Cacace, de Vries, Old and McGarry when does McGarry get gametime outside of a very specific injury crisis?

Sucks for McGarry but he's playing in what's potentially our best position depth wise.

FDV looks like he’s out for a minimum 6 weeks, good chance he might not be ready in time if recovery doesn’t go well etc plus personally I’d rather McGarry then FDV

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6 days ago

Since2007 wrote:
Now I'm more excited for my travels to the WC!

Tbh I’ve been feeling pretty meh about this WC thanks to the toxic vibe coming out of the US and Infantino’s nauseating sycophancy towards the regime there.

But after getting amongst the supporters and cheering on the lads these last couple of games I’m a lot more excited about it. Sure, the politics will be inescapable because everyone’s least favourite oompa loompa will want to make it all about himself, but bring on the football!

My other takeaway from the series is just how passionate the Chile supporters were. Getting a taste of what South American crowds are like really makes me want to get to Brazil for the 2027 WWC despite the massive financial, logistical and linguistic hurdles.

(And speaking of the WWC, I’m hoping for an equally noisy crowd in white at North Harbour in a couple of weeks for the qualifier, not that I want to jinx the semi!)

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6 days ago

Any highlights posted of the match yet? I can't find anything on YouTube.

I have an amazing ability to find my way out of mazes. I'm pathological.

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6 days ago

kwlap wrote:
Any highlights posted of the match yet? I can't find anything on YouTube.

https://www.plus.fifa.com/en/content/new-zealand-vs-chile/cfbd3ec3-7a21-43a4-95f6-367419240d43

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6 days ago · edited 6 days ago · History

Chilean football media displeased.

https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2026/03/31/disgrace-and-embarrassment-how-chile-media-reacted-to-all-whites-loss/

Baze post match. Big praise for Joe Bell. More l;earnings from the loss Friday night than beating 10 men last night, which does make sense.

https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2026/03/31/watch-what-we-learned-from-finland-and-chile-games-darren-bazeley/

Here’s what Bazeley covered in his briefing:

0:00: Overall reaction to the win.

0:55: Learnings from the Finland and Chile games.

1.30: Knowing more about the players, on and off the pitch.

1:55: Keeping in touch with players ahead of naming World Cup squad.

2:27: The players Bazeley thought were outstanding against Chile.

3:13: How the players improved after loss to Finland.

3:48: Summary of benefits from FIFA Series games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4HF2Hfydos
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2026/03/31/watch-post-match-reaction-from-all-whites-goalscorer-kosta-barbarouses/

Forward Kosta Barbarouses has revealed the All Whites tweaked their formation less than an hour before they faced Chile in their FIFA Series game at Auckland’s Eden Park.

Barbarouses, who scored the opening goal in New Zealand’s 4-1 win, said the formation change was made during the pre-match warm-up when they found out Chile planned to start with a five-man defence.

Here’s what Barbarouses had to say at the post-match media briefing.

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6 days ago

https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2026/03/31/watch-post-match-reaction-from-all-whites-midfielder-joe-bell/

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6 days ago

coochiee wrote:

I think it was the first time since March 2014 and a Wood double against Japan, that the AWs have managed more than 1 goal against a top 60 ranked nation. If correct that's 12 years!! Major caveat being the red card.

The All Whites's biggest win over a team in the FIFA top 60 rankings is their 4–1 victory over Chile at Eden Park on 31 March 2026.

Prior to this 2026 result, the record for their biggest win against a top 60 opponent was a 4–0 victory over Mexico in 1980, though this occurred before the official FIFA World Rankings were established in 1992.

Big Pete 65, Christchurch

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6 days ago

Was a great game and result. Payne was fantastic and the Old Randell combo gave us impetus.

Thought Bayliss did well. More progressive than other options.

McCowatts best game. Not a traditional 10, but his defensive work created opportunities and his work ethic shouldn't be ignored.

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4 days ago

Finally got to watch this game. Obviously NZs positivity was a joy to see.

But mostly I enjoyed the performance of the ref who was clearly not going to take any crap and was prepared to punish holding. Thats how it should be, it makes the hold thing watchable.

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4 days ago

See that Pijnaker was at this dinner. Indication he will be on the plane, once he proves his fitness?

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360958589/special-dinner-helped-inspire-all-whites-their-famous-win-over-chile

2010 World Cup All White Rory Fallon (centre) talks to current centre backs Nando Pijnaker and Finn Surman. Photo: NZ FOOTBALL

The All Whites’ World Cup squad is set to be named in mid-May, though an exact date is still to be confirmed.

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4 days ago · edited 4 days ago · History

I’d been critical of Kosta as the option against large CBs when his job was to win long ball from Crocombe or to win an aerial cross against the former in the box.

Here we played a different style with Kosta as one of a few parts of a ball on the deck machine, with some players running at their defenders or playing first time passes or moving around the front third. With Bell, Just and Payne playing balls in and Old grabbing metres carrying the ball down the left to set Randall away.

That said I would like to have seen this line up against a more disciplined defensive unit. This is a poor Chilean team compared to their glory days and the guy who got sent is apparently one of their best.

I wonder how we’d have gone against other stronger teams we’ve played in the last couple of years. While we really needed some goals, we need a stronger test for what might be plan A come the WC.

And Randall as a strong direct runner, who is going to beat his man and get a shot or square ball away as his only options (none of this dipping your toe in and passing back instead) certainly helps this style.

But at least if we are going with Kosta as Plan B this means there is a coherent way of playing that best uses his talents and those of the other players around him.

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4 days ago

Having 10 men also made an average Chile side even poorer. AWs often with acres of time and space in midfield. That won’t be the case at the WC

But I did love how Old ran up the left flank at pace. You just don’t get that with FDV. A significant difference from our attack being laboured and slow against the Finns

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4 days ago

definitely dont get it with FDV, Libby a little different in that he bombs down the flank often, Libby probably a little more physical and combative than Old

Queenslander 3x a year.

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4 days ago

coochiee wrote:
Having 10 men also made an average Chile side even poorer. AWs often with acres of time and space in midfield. That won’t be the case at the WC

But I did love how Old ran up the left flank at pace. You just don’t get that with FDV. A significant difference from our attack being laboured and slow against the Finns

... on the flip side, there were plenty of times when Randall was on the last shoulder with plenty of open field in front of him looking for a de Vries like dink over the top for him to run onto, and Bindon who was LCB and Old to a lesser extent were not capapble of playing that ball.

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4 days ago

My only hassle with Randall is that he seems to avoid using his left foot. Any smart defender will soon realize that he chops back to use his right foot at the business end of his runs.

Oi Oi Edgecumbe... lets have a clean sheet

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4 days ago

coochiee wrote:
Having 10 men also made an average Chile side even poorer. AWs often with acres of time and space in midfield. That won’t be the case at the WC

But I did love how Old ran up the left flank at pace. You just don’t get that with FDV. A significant difference from our attack being laboured and slow against the Finns

There was also a related improvement in Payne performance, so we had a much faster movement forward on both flanks as compared to the Finland game.

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3 days ago

Watching the replay and Osorio drags back Ben Old who could have built a promising attack at around 2:24 without being sanctioned - missed this during the game and makes his second yellow seem a lot less soft, and probably deserved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXv6K5mkNE

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