The Oly Whites have reached groundbreaking territory by becoming the first team in the history of the nation to progress to the knockout stages of the Olympic football tournament.
It didn’t come easy, but the 0-0 draw with Romania on Wednesday secured the Oly Whites their position in the quarterfinals where they’ll run into the host nation, Japan.
New Zealand’s result against Romania was all that was required due to the Oly Whites superior goal difference. It meant that they finished second in Group B behind South Korea, who thumped Honduras 6-0 in their final group game.
The Oly Whites put forth an encouraging display against the Romanians that will have them feeling confident heading into the knockout stages.
Led by Burnley frontman Chris Wood, the Oly Whites dominated the ball for large parts of the match and despite making plenty of forward run, they couldn’t create any meaningful attempts on goal.
It was quite clear that New Zealand were happy to hold on for a draw as they tried to keep a desperate Romania at bay.
The Europeans tried to sit back and surprise the Oly Whites on the counter in the second half which led to a few heart-in-mouth moments for New Zealanders watching around the globe.
After a match to forget against Honduras, goalkeeper Michael Woud showed his worth by making a few crucial saves to keep the Oly Whites Olympic dream alive.
The Romanians continued to press forward in numbers until the final whistle blew, leading to a huge sigh of relief and euphoric scenes for the New Zealanders at the Sapporo Dome.
Attention now moves to the quarterfinal matchup against an impressive Japanese outfit that topped their group.
Japan confirmed their position on top of Group A by dishing out a humiliating lesson to France in their final group match, winning 4-0.
The Blue Samurai have been on a roll at Tokyo 2020, putting seven goals in the back of the net and conceding just one. They’re led by dangerous 20-year-old Real Madrid attacker, Takefusa Kubo, who has scored a goal in each of Japan’s matches thus far.
The Oly Whites will take on Japan at the Kashima Stadium on Saturday.