India endured another defeat against New Zealand, going down 0-3 in the second international friendly at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday. After suffering a 0-5 loss in the opening encounter, the Blue Tigers showed some defensive improvement after the break but continued to struggle in attack.New Zealand took control early, putting the Indian defence under sustained pressure through crosses and set-pieces. Their persistence paid off in the 22nd minute when Finn Surman headed home from a corner delivered by McCowatt. The effort took a deflection off Akash Mishra before finding the net, giving the hosts a deserved lead.India struggled to respond, finding it difficult to retain possession and build meaningful attacking moves. The hosts continued to dictate proceedings and doubled their advantage in the 40th minute. McGarry collected the ball following a short corner and unleashed a first-time left-footed strike from the edge of the box, finding the bottom-left corner.The damage was compounded just before half-time. In the 44th minute, Garbett released Randall into the penalty area, and the latter squared the ball for Chris Wood to finish into an unguarded goal, sending New Zealand into the break with a commanding three-goal cushion.
Defensive improvement after the break
India looked somewhat more organised in the second half, with goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari, who came on as a substitute, producing an important save to deny McCowatt in the 55th minute. The visitors enjoyed longer spells of possession but struggled to convert them into clear-cut opportunities.Bijoy Varghese also impressed with a crucial goal-line clearance in the 85th minute to prevent Michael Rufer from adding another goal. Tiwari’s intervention and Varghese’s defensive effort helped India avoid further damage.
Attacking struggles remain a concern
India managed a few attacking moves in the second half. Liston’s cross resulted in a corner, while Mehtab Singh tested New Zealand goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, who made a comfortable save. However, Liston later missed an opportunity with a wayward effort in the 80th minute.Despite showing greater defensive resolve after the interval, India failed to find a breakthrough and finished the match without seriously troubling the hosts.The defeat leaves head coach Khalid Jamil with plenty to address, particularly India’s lack of attacking penetration, as the team continues its search for improvement against stronger international opposition.
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