New Zealand’s gritty 2-1 loss to Colombia proves their World Cup mettle

A debut goal, a heroic equalizer, and a heartbreaking error—New Zealand’s rollercoaster match against Colombia had it all. Their resilience stole the spotlight.

, and ASMedia

2025 November 16 . 7:10 PM

1 min read

So we a stadium in front of us and there are 6 players standing and we see 3 footballs over here,... — So we a stadium in front of us and there are 6 players standing and we see 3 footballs over here, so this is a football match and we see a lot of spectators over here and they are wearing the raincoats and holding the umbrellas, so it might be raining over there and we see a lot of cameramen here, shooting the match.

New Zealand’s gritty 2-1 loss to Colombia proves their World Cup mettle

New Zealand faced Colombia in Fort Lauderdale, fielding a team without key players Chris Wood, Libby Cacace, and Ryan Thomas. Despite the setback, they put up a strong performance in the world news.

The match started poorly for New Zealand. Gustavo Puerta scored on debut for Colombia, giving them an early 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute. However, New Zealand's goalkeepers Finn Surman and Max Crocombe made crucial saves to keep the score at 1-0 at halftime.

In the second half, New Zealand pushed for an equalizer. Kosta Barbarouses came close, and Jesse Randall nearly gave them the lead with a powerful volley. Their efforts paid off in the 75th minute when Ben Old scored a deserved equalizer.

Unfortunately, New Zealand's comeback was short-lived. A mix-up between Storm Roux and Finn Surman led to Johan Carbonero scoring the winning goal for Colombia, resulting in a 2-1 defeat in the news.

New Zealand may have lost 2-1 to Colombia, but their performance showed they belong on the world cup stage. Despite missing key players, they fought back from a goal down and proved their competitiveness in the cnn news.