The All Whites have finished second in the inaugural Canadian Shield tournament in Toronto, behind winners and hosts Canada, after a narrow 2–1 defeat to world number 25 Ukraine in their second game of the competition.

Back at BMO Field, where three days earlier they defeated African champions Côte d’Ivoire, head coach Darren Bazeley named a strong team. Michael Boxall replaced Bill Tuiloma in defence, Tyler Bindon moved to right back, and Ben Waine and Matt Garbett came in for Kosta Barbarouses and the injured Callum McCowatt.

Ukraine started the stronger, but the New Zealand defence held firm. It wasn’t until the 15th minute that the first real chance came, when midfielder Oleksiy Hutsuliak was found by a cross from the left. His powerful header was expertly palmed away by Max Crocombe in goal.

Five minutes later, good pressing on the edge of the Ukrainian box won the ball back and allowed Sarpreet Singh to swing in a cross, but Matt Garbett couldn’t beat his marker to the ball.

Another excellent save from Crocombe denied Ukraine from close range in the 31st minute. The ball rebounded to Dynamo Kyiv striker Vladyslav Kabayev, but his volley flew over the bar.

As the half wore on, the All Whites grew into the game with a strong period of sustained pressure. After some neat passing to move up the pitch, the ball found Tyler Bindon on the wing, who crossed into Ben Waine in the box. His header, however, looped over the bar, leaving the game goalless at the break.

The deadlock was broken early in the second half when Ukraine took the lead through Hutsuliak. In the 54th minute, the No. 7 collected the ball on the edge of the box, controlled it, and fired a powerful shot into the corner of the net.

But just five minutes later, the All Whites were level. A well-executed set-piece routine saw Liberato Cacace’s corner find the head of Michael Boxall, who nodded it back across goal for Marko Stamenić to finish, claiming his third All Whites goal.

 

With 15 minutes left, Arsenal midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko was introduced, and moments later he found the back of the net with a well-taken finish. Left-back Oleksandr Martynyuk crossed into the box for the onrushing Zinchenko, who scored on the half-volley.

The All Whites responded by creating a number of half-chances, with substitute Francis de Vries’s crosses causing the Ukrainian defence problems, but they couldn’t find the second goal to secure a draw.

With the other game in the tournament between Canada and Côte d’Ivoire ending in a draw, the All Whites finished second in the table behind the hosts, edging Ukraine on goal difference.

Speaking after the game, head coach Darren Bazeley expressed disappointment with the result but pride in his team’s performance and the valuable experience gained ahead of the FIFA World Cup:

“These games are great for us because we haven't been in enough fights. We haven't been in enough games like this for our team and our players to really feel that, and these last two games, I feel like they've felt it. They felt the level that's needed

“They've competed pretty well across the two games and now we can move forward knowing that there's some things to get better at, but there are also things we did really well.”


Article added: Wednesday 11 June 2025