The Futsal Whites held powerhouse Spain for half their game before succumbing 7-1 in their group game at the FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cup.
New Zealand got off to an excellent start when Dylan Manickum set up a 6th-minute goal for Art Twigg, putting the side ahead against the team rated #3 in the FIFA men’s world rankings.
Miguel Mellado levelled for Spain in the 12th minute and the sides went into half-time locked at 1-1.
In the second half, Spain showed why they are considered among the favourites to win the tournament in Uzbekistan.
Catela struck a hat-trick in an eight-minute burst, while Spain scored six second-half goals.
The Spanish players peppered the New Zealand goal with 109 shots, of which 39 were on target, while New Zealand finished the match with 10 shots, of which three were on target.
Though New Zealand have two losses, they can still go through to the knockout stages if they can find a win against Kazakhstan on Sunday, and have other results go in their favour.
Main photo: Futsal Whites Logan Wisnewski (left) and Dylan Manickum. Photo credit: Anvar Ilyasov – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images.
Results
Games played on Thursday September 19, 2024 (NZT)
Group D
Libya 1 (Mohamed Khamis 17′)
Kazakhstan 4 (own goal 15′, Birzhan Orazov 17′, Zhakhangir Rashit 18′, Albert Akbalikov 35′)
New Zealand 1 (Art Twigg 6′)
Spain 7 (Miguel Mellado 12’ Raul Gomez 22’, Catela 25’ 32’ 33’ Jesus Gordillo 26’, Raul Campos 30’)
Fixtures
Game to be played on Sunday September 22, 2024
New Zealand v Kazakhstan
Humo Arena, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 12.30am (NZT)
Libya v Spain
Andijan Universal Sports Complex, Andijan, Uzbekistan, 12.30am (NZT)
This story was first published on September 19, 2024.
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