New Zealand warmed up for their World Cup playoff with a 1-0 defeat by Peru in a friendly in Barcelona on Sunday but coach Danny Hay said it was the ideal preparation for the All-Whites’ crunch match against Costa Rica.
Playing before fans for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19, New Zealand were under siege for much of the clash at RCD Stadium but kept a clean sheet until a goalkeeper mistake paved the way for Gianluca Lapadula’s 69th minute winner.
“That’s the first time since November 2019 that we’ve actually played in front of a crowd, believe it or not,” Hay told reporters.
“So the opportunity to play in a stadium like this, with such a vocal, loud crowd, where we couldn’t communicate clearly with each other, we learnt a hell of a lot.
“I think, as the game progressed, we got over that little bit of fear factor around just playing our natural game.”
Hay’s team, ranked 101st in the world, rode their luck as 22nd-ranked Peru hit the crossbar early and peppered their goal in front of a heaving crowd of 32,000.
But the luck ran out when the ball was passed back to goalkeeper Oli Sail who coughed it up with a heavy touch, allowing striker Lapadula to swoop and volley into an open goal.
The All-Whites, who previously qualified for the World Cup in 1982 and 2010 but have yet to win a game, will face Costa Rica in Doha on June 14 with a spot in the 2022 finals on the line.
“I think we face a similar sort of physical challenge (against Costa Rica),” said Hay.
“That was a little bit of a shock … the strength and speed of the Peruvians.
“The Costa Ricans will bring that to the fore as well.”
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