New Zealand’s Futsal Whites have lost the final game of their three-match tour to Vietnam, beaten 6-2 by African champions Morocco.
The Futsal Whites put up a strong performance for much of the game but the powerful Moroccans showed in the last quarter why they are ranked #8 in the world.
For the opening quarter of an hour, New Zealand traded attacks with the Africans, with neither side able to find a way through.
The Moroccans went 1-0 up in the 16th minute, a scoreline they took into the half-time break.
New Zealand started the second half positively and had the best of the early chances.
In the 22nd minute, captain Dylan Manickum scored a superb goal, cracking it high into the net from out wide.
Two minutes later, his Auckland City teammate Tom Picken almost found a way through but was blocked by the ‘keeper.
Almost immediately, Morocco went into the lead, converting a move from a free kick.
With 10 minutes left, Guenbouai put Morocco 3-1 up and the game started to get away from the hard-working New Zealanders.
Goals in the 32nd and 34th minutes, stretched the lead to 5-1.
However, the Futsal Whites were not ready to surrender and Adam Paulsen stole the ball from an opponent and slotted it into the net to make it 2-5 with five minutes left.
Main photo: Adam Paulsen (2) punches the air with delight after scoring the Futsal Whites’ second goal.
Morocco finished the scoring in the 37th minute.
The match ended New Zealand’s three-match tour to Vietnam, a vital part of the squad’s preparation for their first-ever FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan in September/October.
Watch the match
Tour results
Game played on Sunday March 31, 2024
New Zealand 2 (Dylan Manickum 22′, Adam Paulsen 35′)
Morocco 6 (scorers not available)
Game played on Saturday March 30, 2024
READ MORE: Futsal Whites go down 5-1 to classy Iran in Vietnam international series >>>>
Futsal Whites 1 (Hamish Grey 18′)
Iran 5 (scorers not available)
Game played on Thursday March 28, 2024
READ MORE: Futsal Whites fight back for 2-2 draw with higher-rated Vietnam >>>>
New Zealand 2 (Rahan Ali (2))
Vietnam 2 (scorers not available)
New Zealand squad
(Caps/goals, before start of current tour)
Rahan Ali (12/14) Moreland Futsal, Australia
Mike Antamanov (12/1) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Stephen Ashby-Peckham (41/17) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Sean Beresford* (0/0) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand
Jordi Ditfort (23/13) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
Hamish Grey (12/6) Zambu CFS Pinatar, Spain
Hemi Innes (0/0) Canterbury United Dragons, Aotearoa New Zealand
Dylan Manickum (63/37) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Ethan Martin (12/8) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand
Adam Paulsen (12/5) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Thomas Picken (7/1) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Luc Saker (23/4) Capital Futsal, Aotearoa New Zealand
Casey Sharplin (12/5) Waikato Rapids, Aotearoa New Zealand
Art Twigg (7/3) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Denny Twigg (5/0) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
Sam Twigg* (0/0) Auckland City FC, Aotearoa New Zealand
* Indicates a debut Futsal Whites call-up
Withdrawals
Oban Hawkins (20/7) Southern United, Aotearoa New Zealand (injury)
Logan Wisnewski (20/5) Bloomsbury Futsal, England
About the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup
The tournament will be staged in Uzbekistan from September 14 – October 6, 2024.
It will be the 10th Futsal World Cup and 24 teams will participate, including the host nation and New Zealand.
READ MORE: More teams qualify to join Futsal Whites at FIFA Futsal World Cup tournament >>>>
More football stories
