The All Whites put in a strong performance on European soil, taking on world number 36 Poland at Stadion Śląski in Chorzów, but couldn’t prevent a narrow 1–0 loss to the home side, with Inter Milan’s Piotr Zieliński scoring just after half-time.

Despite the gap in rankings, the two sides were evenly matched for much of the contest, with the All Whites arguably having the better of the first half.

After some early pressure from Poland, which saw them hit the side netting, the All Whites created good chances to take the lead.

In the ninth minute, a long ball from goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, earning his fourth All Whites cap, found Callum McCowatt, who battled past the Polish defence and fired in a low shot that was palmed away by the keeper.

Ten minutes later, a pass upfield from Marko Stamenić troubled the Polish defence, who couldn’t clear their lines, leaving the ball to fall to Ben Waine. His effort was deflected, looping just over the bar during a period of sustained All Whites pressure.

Both sides traded opportunities but couldn’t find a breakthrough, sending the teams into the break goalless.

 

Poland took the lead just after half-time with a well-taken goal from captain Piotr Zieliński. The Inter Milan midfielder collected the ball on the edge of the box, turned neatly, and fired a rocket past Paulsen, the ball cannoning in off the crossbar.

The home side continued to push after taking the lead, but the All Whites kept creating chances of their own.

Just before the hour mark, Sarpreet Singh received the ball on the edge of the box and clipped a lobbed shot narrowly over the bar.

As the game entered its final stages, both coaches turned to their benches. All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley introduced Ben Old and André de Jong (replacing Matt Garbett and Ben Waine), followed by Bill Tuiloma, Lukas Kelly-Heald, and debutant Owen Parker-Price (replacing Tim Payne, Francis de Vries, and Ryan Thomas).

Chris Wood came on for Callum McCowatt with ten minutes remaining, as Bazeley looked to manage his minutes ahead of a long season.

Both sides continued to press for another goal, but a tight game ended 1–0 to the hosts.

Speaking after the match, All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley was pleased with the overall performance but disappointed his side couldn’t capitalise on their chances:

“It's tough to take, you know. I feel like I keep saying it, in the changing room with the players and then to the media. There's a lot of good things from the game. We do a lot of good things in and out of possession, and we have our moments.

“We have to be more clinical and ruthless, and we’ve got to start rewarding ourselves for some of the possession and play that we’re producing now.”

Article added: Friday 10 October 2025