Soccer: Ferns slump to five goal loss

The Football Ferns went down to Mexico 5-0 overnight. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand slumped to a disappointing 0-5 loss to Mexico in their final game of the women's Cyprus Cup soccer tournament in Cyprus overnight (NZT).

Mexico, one of New Zealand's group mates at the women's World Cup in Germany in June, made the Football Ferns pay for a disjointed second spell after the scores were level 0-0 at halftime.

The policy of trialing players and combinations ahead of the World Cup continued, with four changes made by the start of the second half and another shortly after when the score was still 1-0.

"We should have been up at halftime, we had enough chances,'' New Zealand coach John Herdman said afterwards.

"Mexico had one shot in the first half and a young player has missed a sitter for us at the other end.

"We've come in thinking we should have been two goals to the good but we weren't. We made the changes we planned to and unfortunately some of those fresh players got exploited.

"The bottom line is that it was a poor performance in the second half."

While Mexico might take a psychological boost from the victory, Herdman they would be none the wiser about how the New Zealand will play when the two meet in their final women's World Cup group match in Sinsheim, Germany on July 5.

"We started with a completely different shape, something that the Mexicans will not take too much away from, and we haven't shown our true hand at all.

"They've played a similar line-up throughout the tournament and today they've played key players in positions that we'll see them in the World Cup."

Canada won the Cyprus Cup with a 2-1 extra-time win over the Netherlands.

Next up for the Ferns is a likely four-game tour of Australia and China in May, with Herdman is signalling a change in approach after running the rule over players during the Cyprus Cup.

"We've got clarity now moving into the next phase of our preparation. We know which players will start games, which players will close games for us and which players will be used as impact player with something a little different.

"Those games in Australia and China will be about putting in winning performances with the right players on the pitch at the right time."

- NZPA