PNG to face NZ in opener

By PATRICIA KEAMO
THE national men’s football team will have a mammoth task when they face Oceania giants New Zealand in their opening match of the Fifa World Cup regional qualifiers in Qatar on March 18.
Head coach Marcos Gusmao will take over preparations in the New Year after the Brazilian’s arrival on Tuesday.
The South American said he was optimistic about the country’s chances despite him having just two month prepare the side.
The last time Papua New Guinea faced New Zealand was in the 2016 Oceania Football Confederation Nations Cup where they lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless 90 minutes at Sir John Guise Stadium.
PNG are ranked seventh in Oceania and 154th in the world rankings while New Zealand sit atop the top the table in the region and are ranked 110th in the world.
Gusmao told The National yesterday that he was working on training plans to prepare the squad to face New Zealand while awaiting clearance on his post-travel quarantine.
“I believe the team will fare well against New Zealand,” he said.
“I watched the friendly match between New Zealand and Gambia (New Zealand won 2-0).
“They were physical and capitalised on Gambia’s errors.
“Let’s get to work and prepare to face them.”
Following the match with New Zealand, PNG will battle New Caledonia and Fiji on March 21 and 24 respectively.
“I will be trimming the squad from 30 to 23 at the end of February,” Gusmao said.
“My goal is to make PNG think, make decisions and learn the positional game.
“If that happens, they will be the best in Oceania.”
Meanwhile, questions have been raised by football fans on the Brazilian’s experience and successes.
When asked to comment on the matter, Gusmao said: “I’m a qualified coach and I don’t like to prove anything.
“If I wasn’t qualified, I wouldn’t be here. Anyone who wants to see me train the squad, show up at the next camp.”