New Zealand’s return to the World Cup stage next year would mark the end of a long road for a number of the nation’s players who have carried the regrets from a string of past qualifying failures.
On Monday, their relief was palpable as the All Whites booked their ticket to the finals in North America with a 3-0 win against New Caledonia in Auckland.
Few would have felt as emotional as veteran winger Kosta Barbarouses, who came off the bench to score the second goal and set up the last for teammate Elijah Just.
Photo: AFP
Warning: Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage your health
Three years ago, Barbarouses was sent off for a rash tackle during a 1-0 playoff defeat by Costa Rica in Doha that ended New Zealand’s hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup.
“I think about it most nights, to be honest,” the 35-year-old said of the red card. “No joke, it crosses my mind at some point quite frequently. Whether my red card affected the overall outcome of the game, deep down I feel like it might have.”
“I’ve been carrying that for a while,” he said. “So to be able to put that aside well and truly now I think I’ll feel a whole lot better about the situation now.”
Barbarouses has featured in five New Zealand qualifying campaigns, with three ending in playoff defeats.
He played a part in New Zealand’s last qualification for the World Cup in 2010, but missed out on a place in the squad for the finals in South Africa.
Teammate Michael Boxall shared in Barbarouses’ heartbreak during multiple qualifying campaigns, including the 2-0 loss to Peru in Lima that ended their hopes of returning to the World Cup at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Prior to his 55th international on Monday, the 36-year-old centerback had never scored for New Zealand, but his thumping header on the hour-mark at Eden Park put the hosts in front and settled their nerves.
“When the goal went in, I think it was a bit more relief than anything else,” he said. “Just seeing everyone’s reaction with the ball at the back of the net was a pretty cool feeling.”
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
RSS