6 Mar 2014

All Whites rue horror start in Japan

8:25 am on 6 March 2014

A nightmare opening 16 minutes left the All Whites too big a mountain to climb as Japan took out the international football friendly 4-2 in Tokyo.

Leicester City striker Chris Wood scored a goal in each half but New Zealand's reply came after conceding a four-goal deficit as the Samurai Blue raced out of the blocks, led by Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa and AC Milan's Keisuke Honda.

The All Whites interim coach Neil Emblen concedes his side's horror start killed off any chance they had of winning.

The match was the last to be played at the historic venue in Tokyo with the stadium set to be rebuilt ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in the city.