New Zealand’s All Whites beat Chile 4-1 at Eden Park in Auckland, earning their first-ever win over a team from South America.
The match was their last home game before the FIFA World Cup and came after a 2-0 defeat to Finland a few days earlier. Coach Darren Bazeley made four changes to his starting team, and those changes worked well. Kosta Barbarouses was one of the best players on the pitch, scoring one goal and setting up another.
The All Whites thought they had taken an early lead when Tyler Bindon headed in a free kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The turning point came in the 27th minute when Chile’s Dario Osorio was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. With Chile down to 10 men, New Zealand quickly took control of the match.
Barbarouses scored first with a strong volley from a corner in the 32nd minute. Before half-time, Eli Just added a second goal after a long VAR check confirmed he was onside. In the second half, the All Whites kept pressing and created more chances.
Soon after, substitute Ben Waine made it 4-0 when his second shot found the net. Chile scored late through Gonzalo Tapia on a counter-attack, but it did not change the result.
The big win gave the All Whites a boost of confidence ahead of their next World Cup challenge.
