The New Zealand women's football team fell to their third straight one-goal defeat on Saturday, beaten 2-1 by Mexico in the final match of the four-team Women's Invitational Tournament in China .
After consecutive 1-0 losses to China and Korea DPR, the Football Ferns looked on course for their first win of the year when Amber Hearn struck eight minutes before halftime only for the Mexicans to fight back through goals to Renae Cuellar and Teresa Noyola.
Cuellar levelled the score at 1-1 just two minutes before the halftime break before Noyola's 73rd minute strike secured the result for the 25th ranked Mexican side over the 16th ranked Football Ferns.
A disappointed New Zealand coach Tony Readings said his team let their lower-ranked opponents off the hook.
"We started fairly brightly in the first half and when we went 1-0 up we relaxed after that and we let Mexico back into the game,'' Readings said.
