The Oly Whites have started their Olympic campaign on a strong note, winning their opening match against Guinea 2-1 with goals to Matt Garbett and Ben Waine.
The first goal was scored by Garbett in the 25th minute of the first half, putting New Zealand in a good position going into the second.
It was a show of mental toughness and resiliency for the captain, after Garbett had missed a penalty kick just two minutes earlier.
Guinea began to appear more threatening toward the end of the second half, when Amadou Diawara drilled the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to equalise for Guinea in the 73rd minute.
It took just four minutes for Waine to answer swiftly, bringing New Zealand back into the lead with a brilliant goal assisted by stellar passes from Riley Bidois and Lachlan Bayliss.
As the 30C heat beat down, New Zealand looked a little heavy on the legs toward the final 10 minutes, when an additional 11 minutes of extra time was added.
As the final whistle blew, the Oly Whites could be proud of their opening performance against the 74th-ranked Guinea side and have kept their their playoff hopes alive in a tough group that also includes hosts France and USA.
France (second) and USA (16th) are expected to advance, although the Oly Whites reached the quarterfinals at Tokyo three years ago.
Goals:
New Zealand 2 (Matt Garbett, Ben Waine)
Guinea 1 (Amadou Diawarra)
SHARE ME