The Football Ferns have fallen short of causing a huge upset in the playoff for third at the Cyprus Women's Cup in Cyprus, losing on penalties to France.
A Kirsty Yallop strike put New Zealand ahead after 33 minutes, but the French, ranked eighth in the world, capitalised on a defensive error with just three minutes remaining to draw level.
France went on to win a penalty shootout 6-5 to claim third place, while England beat Canada 3-1 in the final.
The New Zealand coach John Herdman was shell-shocked the team, ranked 24th in the world, came within three minutes of toppling a top-10 side.
He says it was a really solid performance and they didn't think they'd be able to boss France round like they did.
