22 Mar 2009

Double heartbreak for Young All Whites

9:10 am on 22 March 2009

The New Zealand under-17 football team will play off for 15th place the Sanix Cup tournament in Fukuoka, Japan, after losing one game to a late goal and another in a penalty shootout on day three.

The Young All Whites will also play the Japan under-17 national team in a friendly on Monday.

New Zealand's morning match on Saturday against Saga Higashi High School looked set to finish scoreless until the Japanese students got in behind New Zealand's defence with two minutes of the 80-minute match remaining to set up the game's only goal.

The Young All Whites picked themselves up for an afternoon match against Kagashimi Josei but again failed to score, with the Japanese side claiming a 4-3 penalty shootout win after the match finished 0-0 in normal time.