Todays' games 2017/18

All Whites snatch rare win as Myer Bevan penalty enough to beat Chinese Taipei

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SKY SPORT
Myer Bevan converts from the spot to set up the All Whites' 1-0 win over Chinese Taipei.
The All Whites beat Chinese Taipei at the Intercontinental Cup in India on Wednesday [NZ time], thanks to a Myer Bevan penalty.
They now face India in their final round-robin match [2.30am Friday NZT]. They will need a win there or a Chinese Taipei win over Kenya a day later to make the final, though a lopsided result either way in that match could leave them unhappy regardless.
The 1-0 win at Mumbai Football Arena was the All Whites' first over a non-Oceania nation since the 1-0 defeat of Oman in November 2015 - 10 draws or losses have followed - and just their 14th such result in the past two decades.
Coach Fritz Schmid made six changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Kenya three days prior, handing goalkeeper Nik Tzanev and teenage defender Liberato Cacace their first caps.
READ MORE:
* All Whites fail to take chances
* All Whites fall to Kenya
* All Whites out to win - Payne
* All Whites chase rare wins

The All Whites pressed Chinese Taipei early, looking to unsettle them, but were largely untroubled themselves as they looked to build from the back. Holding midfielders Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi and Cam Howieson were often static, not offering easy options for the centre backs, but improved in that regard as the first half went on.
A couple of excellent chances fell to Jai Ingham early, when Chinese Taipei failed to clear balls played into their box, but he wasn't able to finish them, shooting into a thicket of defenders both times.
Sarpreet Singh was playing centrally, rather than on the left as he did against Kenya, and was again at the heart of most of the All Whites' best moments. He played Bevan through on goal in the 14th minute, only for the striker to be denied by a tackle from a recovering defender. Eight minutes later, he crossed from the right and found Bevan at the back post, where he sent a tame header straight at keeper Pen Wen-Chieh.
Bevan finally converted a chance in the 36th minute - a penalty laid on a platter when Singh was fouled in the box. Jai Ingham had played fellow wide man Henry Cameron in, and his shot was saved, while Bevan's follow up was blocked. The ball then fell to Singh, who was pushed over by Hung Tzu-Kuei as he tried to find space for a shot
Ingham might have won another penalty soon after, breaking into the box following a neat one-two with Howieson. After the -half-time break, he forced a save when he cut in from the left and shot from the edge of the box, seeking some form of end product to cap off an improved performance.
Chinese Taipei youngster Will Donkin, on the books of English club Crystal Palace, had tested Tzanev midway through the first half with a dipping free kick from a long way out, and his side's only other chance of note in the opening period came in stoppage time, when Chen Ting-Yang shot from distance, and Tzanev tipped the ball out for a corner, though it may have been going high anyway.
A last-ditch block denied Singh a goal 10 minutes into the second half, just before Donkin departed with an apparent injury, and five minutes later, Schmid made his first changes, introducing Noah Billingsley and Clayton Lewis in place of Bevan and Cameron.
The hot conditions took their toll as the second half wore on, and chances dried up for both sides. With 15 minutes to go, Billingsley was tripped in the box by keeper Pen, but the referee showed no interest.
Tzanev had to react fast to tip a header from Chen Chao-an over the bar at a late corner, and after seven minutes of added time, the All Whites could savour a rare win.
They now have three points, the same as Kenya, with India on six points and Chinese Taipei on zero. Head-to-head results are the first tiebreaker, followed by goal difference - the All Whites' is 0, while India's is +8, Kenya's is -2, and Chinese Taipei's is -6.
All Whites 1 (Myer Bevan pen 36') Chinese Taipei 0. HT: 1-0

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VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
Myer Bevan scored the All Whites' only goal in their win over Chinese Taipei. (File Photo).

 

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And breathe

 

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