Matt Ridenton looks to control the ball in New Zealand's draw with Ukraine. Photo / Getty
Matt Ridenton looks to control the ball in New Zealand's draw with Ukraine. Photo / Getty
New Zealand 0 Ukraine 0
New Zealand has gained a point in their opening match of the Under-20 World Cup against Ukraine, but they will wonder what might have been.
While on the balance of play the 0-0 draw was probably a fair result, it won't be any consolation for the home side.
They will rue three missed opportunities, any of which would have been taken on another day.
It's not that New Zealand deserved to win - Ukraine missed a mountain of chances - but Darren Bazeley's men could be sitting on top of Group A with three points.
Midfielder Clayton Lewis blazed over the bar from eight yards midway through the second half, and later substitute Noah Billingsley directed a perfect Deklan Wynne cross straight at the Ukraine goalkeeper in the 85th minute.
Perhaps most painful of it, Sam Brotherton directed his header wide of an open goal one minute into added time.
It made for a rollicking, dramatic finish and an (almost) perfect start to the tournament. But New Zealand will bank the point, which at least gives a platform for the remaining matches.
They got better as the match went on, and in the latter stages of the second half even began to dominate, the visitors reduced to counter attacking raids.
After a cagey start by both teams, Ukraine were quick to settle into their rthymn. They held the ball for long periods, while the white shirts of New Zealand were relegated to often futile chasing around the pitch.
The visitors, who beat England en route to qualifying for this tournament, could have opened the scoring as early as the 15th minute. They created an opening down the left but Artem Biesiedin couldn't capitalise on the opportunity, driving his shot too close to goalkeeper Oliver Sail
New Zealand eventually settled in their work and forced some half chances, included a neat short corner routine. A subsequent set piece provided their best opportunity of the half, with Phoenix midfielder Matthew Ridenton heading over from just inside the six yard box.
The home side looked dangerous at times - particularly with the energy and pace of Joel Stevens bursting down the right flank - but most of the first half was a defensive effort. They coped fairly well - often their own worst enemies with some errant passing - and were also fortunate that Ukraine were profligate with some good opportunities.
Biesiedin and fellow attacker Viktor Kovalenko failed to make the most of good chances, much to the frustration of their demonstrative coach Oleksandr Petrakov.
Both teams, but particularly New Zealand struggled with the playing surface, which wasn't as good as it looked, a disappointment considering the occasion.
The home side found a renewed vigour early in the second half and should have taken the lead through Lewis - a miss that hopefully he can recover from. After that chance Darren Bazeley's team enjoyed a brief spell of dominance but the final ball or cross wasn't good enough.
Ukraine continued to enjoy a bundle of chances - almost too many to list here - with Mykyta Tatarkov particularly guilty, hitting the side netting when it would have been easier to score.
There was incredible pressure at times - at one stage the Europeans forced four consecutive corners - but the home side showed impressive grit to hold on before their late resurgence.
Lanky striker Billingsley made an impact when he came on, pressuring Ukraine goalkeeper and captain Bohdan Sarnavkyi, who looked vulnerable dealing with back passes all afternoon.
But along with the others, he couldn't convert his chance, something that hopefully won't be costly come Friday.
