Head coach Darren Bazeley says the early goals by the United States deflated his OlyWhites side in their group game at the Olympic Games in France.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose the game,” he said in his post-match interview.
New Zealand lost 4-1 in Marseilles, conceding two goals in the opening 12 minutes.
“We went into the game with some confidence off the back of the first game that we played, and the win.
“But the reality is that you can’t concede soft goals early in games against good teams.
“We went out with good intentions to start the game brightly and positively, and we just conceded bad goals at the wrong time.
“They (the players) were a bit deflated for a while.
“We showed a bit of character (in the) second half and we had a few moments but overall, America were the better team in those really important moments.
The United States were clinical, he said, and they made the most of their big moments in the game.
The focus now will be on New Zealand’s last group game against hosts France, who have won both their matches and not conceded a goal.
Bazeley said he anticipated a big crowd, and his team would face a strong team, but “it’s a great game to be involved in.”
Going into the last game on Wednesday (NZT), the team could still qualify for the quarter-finals, and that’s what matters, he said.
READ MORE: Early defensive errors costly as United States beat OlyWhites 4-1 at Games >>>>
Meanwhile, the United States camp were euphoric about the way they bounced back from their tournament opening 3-0 loss to hosts France.
“The vibe was kind of a sense of calmness,” goalscorer Paxten Aaronson said.
“Everybody handled the so-called pressure really well. You saw that in the way we started. We were hungry and motivated.”
United States head coach Marko Mitrovic said: “When you get to 2-0 at the very beginning, it’s a much, much easier game.”
Results
Group A
Games played on Sunday July 28, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand 1 (Jesse Randall 78′)
United States 4 (Djordje Mihailovic 8′ pen, Walker Zimmerman 12′, Gianluca Busio 29′, Paxten Aaronson 58′)
France 1 (Kiliann Sildillia 76′)
Guinea 0
Fixtures
Games to be played on Wednesday July 31, 2024 (NZT)
New Zealand v France
Stade de Marseille, Marseille, 5am (NZT)
United States v Guinea
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, 5am (NZT)
The men’s football tournament at the Olympics
Men’s football at the Olympics is restricted to under-23 players (born on or after January 1, 2000), though each team can select up to three overage players.
Match venues for the tournament are Paris, Bordeaux, Décines-Charpieu (near Lyon), Marseille, Nantes, Nice and Saint-Étienne.
This story was first published on July 28, 2024.
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