The New Zealand U-17 men have gone down 4-0 to the Korea Republic in their second game of the Panda Cup in Chengdu, China.

The José Figueira coached team, who began the tournament with an impressive 2-0 victory over hosts China PR, could not back up that performance against a physical and technically-proficient Korean side at the Chengdu Shuangliu Sports Center.

The Korea Republic, who had defeated Thailand 2-1 in their opening game, continued their momentum with two goals in each half to record a comfortable win. They jump to the top of the Panda Cup table on six points.

Figueira said it was a tough night for his young team but they learned plenty of valuable lessons as they prepare for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil in October.

“The players are of course feeling disappointed with the result tonight,” said Figueira. “To put some things in perspective for them, it was a huge effort after the first game with a very short turnaround. It was hard to find that same energy level and we didn’t quite match it.

“After a strong start from Korea, I felt we managed to get back into the game. The timing of the first goal was a bit frustrating, but it is clear to see that Korea were very physical and athletic, and technical team so for our players it was a fantastic experience to go up against some real quality opposition.”

The NZ U-17 men will look to finish the tournament on a high note when they take on the Thailand U-18s in their final game on Wednesday night (NZT).

Panda Cup
Korea Republic 4 (34’, 38’, 49’, 90’)
New Zealand 0
HT: 2-0

New Zealand: Luca Taylor, Nick Milicich (Campbell Strong 46’), Jackson Simpkin, Max Drake (Bradley Wilson 67’), Finn O’Connor (Kris Naicker 70’), Sean Bright (Jesse Randall 46’), Henry Hamilton, Nathan Lobo (Robi Sabo 46’), Marko Stamenic, Oskar Van Hattum, Keegan Jelacic (Matthew Garbett 46’)
Coach: José Figueira

Panda Cup
Match Day 3 – Wednesday 29 May
New Zealand U-17 v Thailand U-18 3pm (7pm NZT)
China PR U-18 v Korea Republic U-18 7pm (11pm NZT)

Article added: Monday 27 May 2019