Leeds United striker Chris Wood endured a mixed night as New Zealand loss 2-1 to Mexico.
New Zealand striker Chris Wood
New Zealand international winger Marco Rojas has told Four Four Two that fans should lay off striker Chris Wood following his display against Mexico.
With the Confederations Cup in full swing over in Russia, New Zealand took on Mexico in Sochi on Wednesday night, having lost 2-0 to Russia over the weekend.
New Zealand did actually take the lead through Leeds hitman Chris Wood, but Raul Jimenez and Oribe Peralta struck to hand Mexico a comeback victory.
Wood may have found the net, but that doesn’t quite tell the full story of his evening, as he has been heavily criticised for his performance against Mexico.
Wood squandered two one-on-one opportunities during the game, one with the score at 0-0, and one shortly before Jimenez bagged Mexico’s equaliser.
New Zealand striker Chris Wood
Many have slammed Wood for not putting those chances in the back of the net, but one of his team-mates has now moved to defend him in the face of criticism.
New Zealand winger Marco Rojas has told Four Four Two that people need to remember that Wood is human and all players have had those games, noting that he did score as well – and praised New Zealand’s football even if they couldn’t kill the game off.
Marco Rojas
“Look, he scored the one as well – he’s human. We’ve all been there,” said Rojas. “The fact we got into those positions says a lot about how we played in the first half. I’m happy we played the football we know that we can play.”
“We created a lot of chances, had a bit more space than the last game. When you’re going well like that it’s enjoyable to be on the pitch. But it’s a 90-minute game and we have to have a look at what happened during the second half,” he added.
Wood smashed 30 goals in all competitions for Leeds last season, becoming an Elland Road hero – and after seeing him show a clinical edge last term, many Leeds fans will be shock by Wood’s profligacy against Mexico, and will hope that he doesn’t take that form into the Championship season.
What did you think of Wood’s display against Mexico?
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