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Sport Nation
Where did All Whites go wrong in second-half capitulation against Egypt?
Riccardo Ball • June 23rd, 2026 12:48 pm
Max Crocombe & Finn Surman | Photo: Photosport
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup to date, the All Whites have played three very good halves of football and one regrettable one - and that really does feel like an opportunity missed.
After a disaster of a match against Haiti and a backs-to-the-wall loss to England in their World Cup warm-ups, a result of any sort - or even a goal - looked a long way off.
Then the opening game against Iran happened and expectations changed. This was a team playing on the front foot with speed, incisive forward passing and courage. A team that created as many chances in the first half hour against Iran as the 2010 side had in three matches and scored as many goals in that one game as previous All Whites sides had in entire campaigns.
We saw that quick start again against an Egyptian side that appeared disconnected and taken aback by the counter-attacking pace that the All Whites hit them with at every turnover.
Seven shots in the first half of the match and 24 entries into the attacking third of the pitch in the first 40 minutes meant that Egyptian keeper Mostafa Shobeir was kept busy and was the Pharaohs best player in the opening half - a half that ended with New Zealand holding a halftime lead for the first time at a World Cup thanks to a perfectly executed Finn Surman header from a Tim Payne corner.
So, the question has to be - what changed between halves?
All Whites must beat Belgium to get out of the group stage | Studs Up!
Hossam Hassan certainly made tactical changes to his side. Marmoush and Ziko played wider in the channels between the All White fullbacks and centre backs, with Egypt's fullbacks overlapping. They overloaded Tim Payne and Liberato Cacace simultaneously creating space for more crossing opportunities - but also creating space between Michael Boxall and Finn Surman, as they looked to close space that was being opened up on their outsides.
But while that was happening, something had changed for New Zealand as well.
Bazeley’s men appeared to play deeper. They also seemed to take extra touches like they were trying to slow the game down and, with that, any space to attack on the counter evaporated, as the Egyptian defence had time to adjust after losing possession.
Was this change a directive from the coaches or something that happened instinctively?
Finn Surman towers above Egypt to score for New Zealand | FIFA World Cup 2026 on Sport Nation
Given how this side ‘went again’ each time they scored against Iran, it seemed early in the piece to attempt to shut up shop and close the game out, and once the momentum of the game changed they never got it back.
Changes could have been made earlier, particularly with Sarpreet Singh (who had a mixed first half) and Callum McCowatt on yellow cards, but the first substitution didn’t arrive until 21 minutes into the second half - and after Mostafa Ziko had equalised. A minute later it was 2-1, when Salah scored.
Chasing a goal, more changes were made, although none of the following four substitutes were strikers, with both Ben Waine and Kosta Barbarouses remaining on the bench for the half hour in which New Zealand trailed.
No doubt Bazeley will be having some 'what if' moments after this match, so it’s a matter of taking those lessons into game three against Belgium on Saturday, where only a win will see this side progress beyond the group stages.
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