Football: Junior All Whites fall to Morocco

The Junior All Whites finished up a four-team tournament in Doha on Wednesday with a 3-0 loss to Morocco.

After the New Zealand side accounted for the same opposition 3-1 on Sunday, the Moroccan team evened the ledger through a strong counter attack which produced three goals over the 90 minutes.

The African nation took a 35th minute lead and two goals in the final half hour bloated a score line which Junior All Whites coach Darren Bazeley says doesn't reflect the nature of the contest.

"Football is a funny game," Bazeley said. "In this game we created more goal scoring chances than in any game we've played, and they were really good chances as well.

"We had three very good chances, including a one-on-one with the 'keeper, at 0-0. We didn't take those chances and they scored a goal 37 minutes into the game which was disappointing.

"In the second half we played some really good stuff and dominated the game and we just couldn't take that clear cut chance. In the last 10 minutes we pushed forward to try and chase the game and we conceded the third goal because of that."

Bazeley said he felt the Junior All Whites' win on Sunday (NZ time) played a role in sparking Morocco for Wednesday's clash, which also had benefits in testing the New Zealand side.

"I think we hurt them the other day and probably surprised them with our levels. They looked like they'd had two or three days to dwell on it.

"The result was disappointing but there were elements in our performance that were very good and at times we were better than some of our play in the previous game."

With the FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil in 2015, Bazeley said the last three matches in Doha gave the team a chance to replicate what they'll experience in the group phase next May.

"We lost 1-0 to Chile in a game that Chile were very good and we worked hard and almost grabbed a draw. Then we came out and put on a really good performance and won 3-1 against Morocco. We'd be on three points after that.

"Then today we're probably out of the World Cup if we were using this as our three games, but if you'd seen the game and went over the chances, it's a game we could have perhaps won 3-2."

Pleased with the development of the group while in Doha, Bazeley said one of the team's key work-ons is the choices the players are making with the ball at their feet.

"We've got a tendency to want to go and attack every time we get the ball, to want to try and score and make things happen. That's okay at the right time but at times we need to be more patient and wait for the right opportunity to quicken the tempo."

"We've learned a lot about ourselves and the players we have to move forward. Some players played different positions and everyone has had plenty of opportunity to put themselves forward.

"We'll come away from this tournament with a lot more knowledge of what our players are like playing at this level than we've had before. It's been of great value to the players and the staff."