A turnover on the edge of their own area proved costly in the 86th minute as the Asian Cup runners-up pounced, All Whites debutant goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic saving the first attempt superbly but he could do nothing about the follow up from Cho Young-Chul.
It was a harsh return for Anthony Hudson’s side who worked tirelessly over the course of the 90 minutes in pressing and harassing their opponents all over the pitch, creating several scoring chances themselves on the back of that high work rate.
Captain Chris Wood had the ball in the Korean net as the first half drew to a close only to be pulled back for a foul in the lead up while Bill Tuiloma flashed a header wide of the Korean goal from a corner midway through the opening 45 minutes.
Earlier, Wood had the best chance of the opening period of the game – finding space in the Korean area from a corner to fire a shot on the swivel at the host’s goalkeeper after eight minutes.
The All Whites would have faced a 1-0 deficit at the break but for a penalty save from Marinovic in the 38th minute. Having conceded the spot kick after racing out to thwart a counter attack and collecting only a Korean attacker, Marinovic then did superbly to turn aside the penalty to preserve the 0-0 scoreline.
Hudson’s side couldn’t find the same regular attacking threat in the second period that they carried in the first as substitutes from both sides and the driving rain played a role in disrupting the rhythm of the contest.
Wednesday’s match saw four players make their All Whites debuts in the run on side as Clayton Lewis, Ryan De Vries, Themi Tzimopoulos and Marinovic all recorded their first cap for their country while Ben van den Broek made his first appearance from the bench in the second half.
Joel Stevens was stretchered off with a shoulder injury minutes after entering the game early in the second half, replaced by Wellington Phoenix club mate Louis Fenton.
Hudson said despite the final score line, the effort of the side raised the bar from the games played at the tail end of 2014.
“I’m disappointed with the result but I just thought the performance was quite outstanding,” Hudson said.
“To go toe-to-toe with such an experienced and top class team with a really young squad, we’ve gained a lot from tonight and taken another big step towards what we’re trying to achieve.”
“I thought we showed an incredible team ethic. Every single player that came on the pitch fought and gave everything. We’re trying to build a real team ethos here and everything we’re asking for from the players we saw tonight.”
Hudson paid tribute to the contingent of young players who made their international debuts against the 56th-ranked Korea Republic side who could play important roles in the national set-up moving forwards.
“I don’t think you could have had a more difficult debut if you’re one of the younger players coming in. You’re playing in a relatively young squad, against one of the top teams in Asia.
“We’ve certainly gained some more players in the squad. I thought Clayton Lewis was exceptional. To play in this stadium against such a big team having really been playing amateur football I thought it was quite incredible. I think we found another player there who is going to be a really important player in the future.”
“It’s exciting to think what the future can be like in the next couple of years.”
Korea Republic 1-0 New Zealand (half: 0-0)
KOR: Lee Jae-sung 86’
NZL:
New Zealand: 25. Stefan Marinovic (GK), 3. Deklan Wynne, 4. Themi Tzimopoulos, 5. Michael Boxall, 6. Bill Tuiloma (13. Ben van den Broek 80’), 8. Michael McGlinchey, 9. Chris Wood (capt), 11. Marco Rojas (26. Moses Dyer 79’), 15. Storm Roux, 18. Clayton Lewis (10. Joel Stevens 52’- 16. Louis Fenton 58’), 20. Ryan De Vries (12. Tyler Boyd 46’)
Substitutes not used: 17. Sam Brotherton, 19. Thomas Doyle, 21. Max Crocombe (GK), 22. Sam Burfoot, 23. Cameron Howieson
Coach: Anthony Hudson
For more on New Zealand football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz.

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