Courtesy: Fiji Times


Kiwis go tought

by Amit Raj

Saturday, August 14, 2010

MENTAL toughness has been the key for the Kiwis in the Oceania Futsal Championship, says New Zealand Futsal Whites coach Mathew Chandler.

Chandler picked his team's early three-goal lead in the 6-4 win over host team Fiji as the turning point in the close tussle.

"The difference was us scoring three goals in the first half," he said.

"Honestly speaking at half-time I knew we will win.

"When we came out for the second period, we expected fire from Fiji and they didn't disappoint us.

"They scored a good goal to make it 3-2 and we swung the game.

"That's what this team keeps doing. Every time we are behind or every time someone scores against us, they don't score again and we score the next goal.

"That's what we worked on in training and mental preparation."

He said it was crucial to play smart Futsal.

"Physically, when you see Fiji warming up, they're quite imposing.

They have huge athletes. We knew mentally it was about staying on our game plan, being patient and understanding that they will have the ball sometimes."

He said the Kiwis had to stay focused and patient in the second half.

"I use the substitutions. We knew they would have their and we had to deal with it. We were unfazed.

"I'm blessed with a good team. And the longer we stay together, the more we will improve.

"I also used both goalkeepers and it was important to give them a mental break," Chandler said.

After losing its opening match 8-4 against Solomon Islands, the Kiwis bounced back to notch impressive wins over Vanuatu 3-2 and Tahiti 2-1.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com