New Zealand brush aside politics ahead of World Cup opener against Iran
Soccer Football – International Friendly – Republic of Ireland v New Zealand – Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland – November 21, 2023 New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
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INGLEWOOD, California, June 14 : New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley brushed aside the political backdrop to his side’s World Cup opener against Iran on Monday, saying his players were focused solely on football despite heightened attention surrounding the match.
The Group G clash in Los Angeles comes after months of conflict involving Iran and a day after Washington and Tehran announced a framework agreement for a deal to end their war.
Asked about the wider significance of the fixture, Bazeley insisted New Zealand had prepared as they would for any other match.
“To be honest, we’ve treated it as a normal game,” he told reporters on Sunday.
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“We prepare the same for every international game that we play, and we’ve done nothing different for this game. For us, it’s a big game because it’s a World Cup game, and we want to do well here at the World Cup.”
Captain Chris Wood, New Zealand’s all-time top scorer, echoed his coach’s view.
“All we’ve been focused on is football,” said the striker. “Once you go through the white lines, nothing else matters.”
The match is expected to draw a large Iranian diaspora crowd in Los Angeles, although it remains unclear how much support the national team itself will receive from a fan base divided by politics.
But Bazeley said his players were relishing the prospect of a big atmosphere.
“All the players prefer playing in big crowds and big atmospheres. It’s what we came to the World Cup for,” he said.
The fixture marks New Zealand’s return to the World Cup after a 16-year absence, and Bazeley said his squad had spent years preparing for the occasion.
“We’ve waited a long time to be here,” he said. “We’re excited to get going.”
New Zealand face an Iran side ranked 20th in the world and unbeaten through Asian qualifying, but Wood said the tournament had already shown there was little separating many of the competing nations.
“It’s exciting that mostly all the games have been quite tight and quite close, and everybody’s had a chance to win,” he said. “That gives us confidence.”
Source: Reuters
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