Chris Wood ends trans-Tasman goal drought then dashes to the airport as All Whites lose to Socceroos
Tuesday, 9 September 2025
At Go Media Stadium, Auckland: Socceroos 3 (Mohamed Touré 35’ 60’, Nestory Irankunda 54’) All Whites 1 (Chris Wood 57’). HT: 1-0
Chris Wood scored to end the All Whites’ almost six-hour wait for a goal against Australia, then was in the showers before the match ended in a 3-1 defeat, as he had to rush to the airport to begin his journey back to England, where he has a Premier League match for Nottingham Forest at lunchtime on Saturday (11.30pm NZ time).
The captain and star striker marked his 86th cap with his 45th international goal in the 57th minute of Tuesday’s night’s second Soccer Ashes friendly at Go Media Stadium in Auckland, briefly giving world No 82 New Zealand hope after they fell behind 2-0 nine minutes into the second half, in front of an 18, 213-strong crowd.
Mo Touré scored a brace for the world No 24 Socceroos in his fourth cap, including the goal that restored his side’s two goals buffer, just three minutes after Wood’s. Nestory Irankunda scored his first goal in his second, just after halftime, and also hit the crossbar with a stunning free kick from 40m out later in the second spell.
The two young attackers – 21 and 19 respectively – were the difference between the two teams, impressing from the start with their pace and finishing ability after being used as substitutes on Friday in Canberra, where Australia won 1-0. Their aggregate score for 4-1 across the two matches meant they retained the Soccer Ashes.
Wood was substituted in the 67th minute, playing slightly longer than he did in the previous match, with his national team and Forest carefully managing his loading in a season where he could play almost 60 matches for club and country before going to the FIFA World Cup.
His goal came after left back Francis de Vries sent a cross in from deep on the left that curled past a Socceroos defender and hit him on the thigh. The touch was just slight enough that he still had time to pounce and poke it past goalkeeper Paul Izzo, who had denied him twice in Canberra. It was the All Whites’ first goal against Australia in 581 minutes of action since early on in what turned out to be a 2-1 loss in Melbourne in 2010. It was also Wood’s first goal against them.
After watching briefly from the sideline, the 33-year-old was down the tunnel to shower after 75 minutes, with the intention of leaving the ground before fans started flooding from the stands and the streets around Go Media Stadium became gridlocked at the end of the match.
The final whistle blew slightly over four days before Forest kick off against Arsenal in London this weekend, in what is looking like being the first match in charge for Australian coach Ange Postecoglou, who was reported by The Athletic to have been appointed on Tuesday, after Nuno Espírito Santo, a coach Wood has thrived under, was sacked the night before.
Coach Darren Bazeley said it was easy to allow Wood to make an early exit, given how much he puts into playing for his country: “We all know Chris and we all know the commitment that he puts into New Zealand. He travels every time. He comes to these games every time.
“He's playing at a different level to any other player on the pitcher. He's playing in the Premier League, he's got Arsenal away, and it's the early kickoff on Saturday.
“When you say that he's got Arsenal away at the weekend, it's amazing that he's here in New Zealand on a Tuesday night.
“That’s a credit to him, and that's why I'm so pleased he scored a goal.”
Bazeley was asked about the potential of an Australian coach in Postecoglou, who was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur at the end of last season, after they finished 18th in the Premier League, despite winning the Europa League, taking charge of a club with a Kiwi leading the line.
“If that happens, Ange will be talking about two Aussie wins, I suppose,” he said. “And hopefully, Chris can say, well, at least I got a goal.”
Wood’s early exit meant he wasn’t on the sideline to see a player whose senior football career began at the same Waikato clubs as his – Cambridge and Hamilton Wanderers – make his debut.
Luke Brooke-Smith came off the bench in the 79th minute to become the youngest All White since Ceri Evans in 1980, at 17 years and 95 days old.
The All Whites have now lost eight in a row against Australia, a run that stretches back to 2002, when former captain Ryan Nelsen scored to give New Zealand a 1-0 win at Go Media Stadium in the final of that year’s Oceania Nations Cup.
Touré’s first goal came after a bad touch from Ryan Thomas left Connor Metcalfe with the ball and time to turn and play a perfectly-placed ball for the striker, who held off Tyler Bindon before finishing past Max Crocombe to the goalkeeper’s left.
Irankunda scored after he received a long ball with only Bindon and Crocombe to beat, as the All Whites’ overcommitted in the attacking third. After de Vries failed to nick the ball off the electric forward from behind, he managed to get a shot off while falling past Bindon and Crocombe into the bottom-left corner.
Touré’s second goal followed a deft first touch from Metcalfe that gave him the ball and left Bindon in no man’s land. He then used his right foot to drag the ball away from the All Whites’ other centre back, Finn Surman, before finishing fiercely with his left.
The All Whites’ best chance to take the lead in the first half came when a sequence of one-touch passes ended with Wood shooting tamely first time at Izzo. Australia nearly conceded an own goal equaliser when a cross from Sarpreet Singh – who impressed on the left – took a deflection and hit the crossbar, with Payne’s follow-up header being palmed over the bar.
Thomas then had a strong shot from the edge of the box early in the second half which Izzo was up to the task of stopping.
Before Touré’s opener, Crocombe had to stretch and fly to his right to deny Kye Rowles from heading home a Lewis Miller cross.
The big picture
Two defeats in two matches against New Zealand’s closest sporting rival made for a frustrating international window.
Wood’s failure to convert one of his two excellent chances in the first half in Canberra will haunt him and his team-mates, while they will be disappointed to have conceded three at home. They overextended themselves before the Socceroos’ second and it felt as though they lost their compactness out of possession while three goals were scored at either end in the space of six second-half minutes.
Old was impressive on the left wing, where his pace compared to Bazeley’s other attacking options was noticeable, while de Vries’ assist for Wood furthered the case for him to be considered as a left wing option when Liberato Cacace returns at left back.
Wood is now two matches away from joining Ivan Vicelich as the All Whites’ most-capped player.
What’s next
The All Whites will next be in action during the October international window, playing a pair of matches in Europe against world No 37 Poland and world No 33 Norway.
The Poland match will be played on Thursday, October 9 local time (kickoff 7.45am Friday, October 10 NZ time) at Stadion Śląski in Chorzów, while the Norway match is set to be played on Tuesday, October 14 (kickoff 5am Wednesday, October 15 NZ time) at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.
NZ Football is expected to confirm matches against world No 14 Colombia in Miami and world No 25 Ecuador in New Jersey for the November international window.
Plans for the March international window will only be confirmed after the FIFA World Cup draw is made on Friday, December 5 (6am Saturday, December 6 NZ time) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
NZ Football will explore bringing the All Whites home next March or when the World Cup release period begins at the end of May next year, but securing quality opposition for a home fixture will be a challenge, so it is possible Chris Wood and co have just played their last match on home soil before the showpiece event kicks off next June.