The opening day of action in Group C spelt disappointment for
both Gambia and New Zealand. Despite obvious desire and some
flashes of inspiration, the two outsiders came away with nothing,
having found their determined efforts insufficient against
high-class opposition. For Gambia, that meant a heavy 3-0 loss to
Mexico, while New Zealand suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of
Portugal. But those scorelines only tell half the story. The Kiwis
long frustrated the team many see as serious contenders for the
global crown before a free-kick from Bruno Gama finally changed the
face of the encounter. For their part, Gambia created a number of
good chances against Mexico but failed to put them away.
The game
New Zealand v Gambia, Toronto, 17:00 (local time)
The stakes
The situation is simple for both teams. Gambia and New
Zealand lie bottom of Group D with zero points. Should they fail to
displace Mexico and Portugal at the top of the standings, with four
of the best third-placed teams still going through to the Round of
16, three points here could prove invaluable. That means both the
Gambians and New Zealanders will have to work on their finishing,
although few will be surprised if Gambia, who often looked
dangerous against Mexico, have better luck turning chances into
goals. Whatever happens, the game ought to be a pulsating affair as
the two sides love to apply pressure all over the pitch.
The players
Both coaches can call upon full squads, but if New
Zealand's Michael Boxall, Ian Hogg, Craig Henderson or Phil
Edginton pick up a yellow card they will miss the Mexico match
through suspension. Algie Ngum is the only player in a similar
situation for Gambia.
The past
This is the only game in the group stage between two FIFA
U-20 World Cup debutants. New Zealand and Gambia have never met at
this level.
The words
"We have every reason to be optimistic after our game
against Portugal. We played well and created some good chances
towards the end, even if we didn't put them away. We're
here to build experience."
Stu Jacobs, New Zealand coach.
"We'll learn from our mistakes and come back stronger
against New Zealand. I'm fairly satisfied with how we played in
the first half. It's just a shame we couldn't score."
Peter Bonu Jonson, Gambia coach.
"We showed we totally deserve our place at this World
Cup. We'll have to learn the lessons from this match and try to
use this experience as best we can in our next outings."
Dan Keat, New Zealand captain.
