New Zealand (National Football)

The New Zealand football team is ranked 78 in the world. Their nation doesn't have a professional football league. They have a full time bank employee on their team.

Italy are ranked five in the world. They have one of the biggest football league's in the world. Their players are multi millionaires who play football every day.

None of this suggests that Italy and New Zealand would fight it out on the football field to a 1-1 draw.

Yet that's what happened. A nation with a population of 4.3 million in which football is very much the third sport, drew with a nation of 60 million where football is the main sport.

This is exactly what I want to see in a World Cup. I want every game to be contested throughout. I want the smallest teams to do their utmost to deny the big guns. I want excitement.

This 1-1 draw provided all of the above. There were plenty of chances for both sides. This was by no means a match where one team bombarded the other for 90 minutes without a reply.

Indeed, New Zealand almost went ahead at the death after Wood saw a shot drift just wide.

I'm not going to pretend that this was the perfect match. Italy was wasteful, New Zealand's goal was offside, and Italy were lucky to get their penalty.

However, this match, while not the purest display of footballing genius, kept me glued to the screen for 90 minutes.

This match was interesting, something that can't be said for the majority of the games we've seen so far.

Too often, the World Cup is about the big teams, but today New Zealand has provided a brilliant advert for football. Not just for the rest of the less fancied teams, but also for New Zealand, a country where football receives less attention than it should.

This remarkable draw gives New Zealand as many points as England, the USA and Italy. It also means they have more points than France. They are very much in contention to qualify.

Here's hoping New Zealand makes it to the next round.

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro committed a terrible error early in the team's World Cup match with 78th-ranked New Zealand. Seven minutes had not passed when Simon Elliott’s free-kick sailed into the box, glanced off Cannavaro’s hip, and shot into Shane Smeltz’s wheelhouse. The 28-year old forward’s eyes grew big as the deflection came right to him. He knew exactly what to do, taking advantage of this extraordinary opportunity by crushing a strike hard into the back of the net. One white-clad corner of Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa erupted as Smeltz and the rest of the All Whites celebrated euphorically. They had an early lead- a lead they weren’t supposed to have on a goal they weren’t expected to score.

That magnificent shot was their only one on goal in the entire match. They had done the unthinkable, and now it appeared that their objective was to hold down powerhouse Italy the best they could. Nearly twenty minutes went by with no harm done, but then Italy made some noise. Riccardo Montolivo hit the goalpost in the 27th minute, rocketing the ball into the box. Italy was being very aggressive, and in allowing them to control the ball, New Zealand was playing with fire.

Italy kept attacking, and were helped by what Ryan Nelsen dubbed “a ridiculous call” after the match. They had a chance to break through upon being awarded a penalty kick. There was contact aplenty deep in New Zealand’s zone, but the slightest amount was actually called. Tommy Smith was perplexedly given a yellow card for nudging Daniele De Rossi , who sold it by going down in the box like he was shot. This resulted in a guessing dive to the left by goalie Mark Paston and a strike by Vincenzo Iaquinta to his right for the equalizer.

Italy controlled possession for the remaining 60-plus minutes, but Paston wouldn’t let them convert on their many chances. The ball was at Italy's end for the majority, yet New Zealand seemed content simply playing defense. A win would be magical, but a draw would be enough to induce jubilant celebrations throughout their home-country. It was just a question of whether they could keep the team that won the World Cup four years ago from scoring.

Their defense tightened, frustrating Italy to no end. When there were openings, Paston gobbled up attempts. In the 70th minute, Italy had a brilliant run going in New Zealand’s zone. Montolivo held the ball out top, waiting for his moment to arrive. The box was full of Italians and New Zealanders, but he found a sliver of daylight. To him, Paston was the only one that stood between him and a potential go-ahead goal. Paston indeed stood between him and that hope, with one hand re-directing the powerfully long strike by the 25-year old star midfielder.

It was still 1-1. New Zealand could taste a tie. Imagine how they would have felt if a shot by 18-year old substitute Chris Wood had a little less left-to-right spin. After 76 minutes without a chance to score a second goal, Wood sped through the defense and leveled a low shot headed towards the right corner. It snuck past the goalie’s lung, but it carried too much side-spin with it and rolled harmlessly past the goal-post and out of bounds. They wouldn’t have any more chances. But neither would Italy.

Italy was in possession for the remainder. New Zealand was just waiting for the final whistle to blow. It was an anxious finish, made even more so when the referee added four minutes of stoppage time. More than three minutes went by harmlessly. The ref looked at his watch and didn’t blow the whistle. A half a minute went by, then just after the 94-minute mark the whistle was blown. It was a reality: New Zealand had tied one of the better teams in the World Cup.

The draw was much more than that, as their coach Ricki Herbert said so eloquently , “I think that stopped the nation. It’s the most incredible result we’ve had across the board. As a football coach, it’s way above anything we’ve achieved in the history of the game. We are always daring to dream. At the World Cup anything is possible — we’ve seen some strange results — but nothing as big as that one.”

World champions Italy joined the growing list of misfiring European big guns when they were held to an incredible 1-1 draw by New Zealand in Nelspruit – and the world’s fifth best side came within inches of defeat against the 2,000-1 outsiders ranked No87 by FIFA.

The All Whites star? Mark Paston, a 33-year-old goalkeeper who failed to make it with Bradford, Walsall and Scotland’s St Johnstone when he tried to hit the big time in Britain six years ago. He managed 24 games in three seasons and went back to New Zealand, where he now dons gloves for Wellington Phoenix in the A League.

The dynamic deadlock at the impressive Mbombela Stadium was another huge blow for the so-called superpowers of Europe - 1998 champions France are on the brink of elimination in Group A, where even a win against hosts South Africa on Tuesday may not save them. Today comes news that the French boycotted training over Nicolas Anelka being sent home for insulting boss Raymond Domenech.

England and Germany both require solid wins in their final games to go through from Groups C and D. And favourites Spain were beaten 1-0 by Switzerland in their opening Group H encounter.

Now holders Italy are under huge pressure to win their final game against Slovakia at Ellis Park on Thursday. New Zealanders are locked on two points with the Azurri in the Group F table, which is topped by Paraguay, one of several South American teams looking unexpectedly strong in South Africa.

As predicted here weeks ago the Rainbow Nation, blessed with three or four different climates and vast variations in altitude, is producing the most unpredictable of World Cups.

Italy, struggling without injured pair Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo, went behind after just seven minutes. Before this clash, boss Marcello Lippi had warned his side about the All Whites’ strength in the air – and when Simon Elliott’s free kick was whipped in, tall defender Winston Reid flew high to flick on. Italy’s World Cup-lifting captain Fabio Cannavaro could only deflect the ball to Shane Smeltz, who notched his 20th goal in 37 internationals past Federico Marchetti.

While the world’s most expensive goalkeeper Buffon looked on, 33-year-old Paston, cheap and cheerful, denied Riccardo Montolivo before Gianluca Zambrotta sent yet another free kick just over the bar with the superlight Jabulani ball.

Montolivo hit a post as the pressure mounted – but the equaliser when it came was highly controversial. Ipswich defender Tommy Smith challenged Daniele De Rossi for a cross – and Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres pointed to the spot.

Afterwards New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen, who earns his crust at Blackburn, said: “That was a great result for us, we fight all the way. But their goal was not a great decision.”

Smith was cautioned before Juventus striker Vincenzo Iaquinta   put the spot kick away.

Lippi made changes as he attempted to grab all three points – but it was New Zealand who nearly went ahead after half-time when Ivan Vicelich lashed a fierce volley just wide.

Paston saved from Montolivo again but at the other end, Wood waltzed past Cannavaro but put his shot just wide.

Italy’s Argentinian Camoranesi forced another decent stop from Paston but it was New Zealand who nearly snatched it when West Brom’s 18-year-old Kiwi Chris Wood put his left-foot shot just wide.

In the opening game on day nine, Paraguay – building on their opening draw against Italy – dispatched Slovakia 2-0 in Bloemfontein with Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros on the score sheet.

Paraguay defender Paulo da Silva beamed: “We played the perfect game. We scored early, we defended well and then we killed them off at just the right time. We’ve taken a very big step and we’ve almost achieved our major objective. Against New Zealand we need to go in with the same attitude if we want to win. Qualification is in our hands now.”

Neal Collins is in South Africa to complain about England's performance and promote his first novel A GAME APART. See www.nealcollins.co.uk .

  To see Neal at the National Arts Festival on July 4, go to http://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625 .

 

Italy 1 Paraguay 1

New Zealand 1 Slovakia

In Group F, we're back to where we started. All tied. All four teams have scored one goal apiece and all four teams have a point. The only thing that separates them is alphabetical order.

For me, this is memories of 1982 on two accounts:

(a) the All Whites of New Zealand only other appearance in the World Cup was at the Spanish finals

(b) in Spain, Italy were part of a group where all games but one ended in a draw.

Next round of fixtures see the Azzurri take on the All Whites and the Slovaks combat the Paraguayans.

For all you non-Italian speaking Kiwis here is a selection of commentary from various Italian newspapers.

La Gazzetta dell Sport

The Slovaks wait for the final whistle from the South African referee Jerome Damon. A little 'trot' to maintain their 1-0 lead over New Zealand. But on the 93rd minute there's a 'prank'. Winston Reid, schooled in Denmark but of Maori blood, lines a header and scores a draw.

A historic moment for Ricky Herbert's boys. This is the first point the All Whites have ever captured at a World Cup. After their first attempt in 1982, a year Italy praises.

The draw means all teams are even in Group F. Italy and Paraguay can sleep peacefully after their draw. The two teams would have been busy making observations of today's clash.

The New Zealanders, who are not the All Blacks, but like the Maori fought until the end.

It could have been the Michigan vs Appalachian State of World Cup football.

But sadly, it wasn't.

North Korea held Brazil for the first half, conceded two goals, and managed to pull one back—but then time ran out.

But finally, our imaginations were allowed to live: Football has finally arrived.

1) Brazil

We expected Brazil to smash North Korea into the earth, and after they went 2-0 midway through the second half, the rout was on.

But in fact the nasty ghost—Brazilian defending—rose its ugly head as the 2002 World Cup winners failed to stop Ji Yun-nam, who beat four players and hammered it past the keeper.

The world held their breath, but Brazil got away with the three points.

2) Portugal - Ivory Coast

For you Twitter users, I'll sum this 0-0 draw up in 150 Characters: "What an awful game."

There you go.

Nothing else to say about this.

3) Cristiano Ronaldo

The goddawful game was highlighted by Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliant shot that hit the post early in the first half.

If there's any footballer who can keep this ball down, it's Ronaldo.

He'll be their source of inspiration this year.

4) 'Not Sacrificial' New Zealand Lambs

We were expecting New Zealand to be like their lamb: sacrificial.

But they were well-organised, battled the Slovakians, conceded a first goal and then scored a deserved equaliser in the 92nd minute, sending all those in Auckland who were actually awake to watch this into raptures.

We can only hoped some of them called their Australian 'neighbours' and said "We've got more point than you....."

5) Slovakia

Again, this is a disappointing team.

Italy and Paraguay shouldn't be worried about this team.

New Zealand are on the verge of appearing at the world's premier sporting tournament for only the second time in their history. While they have benefited from a slightly easier qualification journey than some teams, it is merely a quirk of the competition that has seen this occur.

The cyclical nature of qualification and luck is one thing that defines the World Cup as a competition. Right up until the final and then even in the final itself. Sets of expected opponents do not appear as predicted and many are only left to wonder at what might have been.

In New Zealand's qualifying they met a Bahrain side that were actually a very good footballing unit, who could not seem to find a finish on their home pitch. Bahrain were overwhelmed by the energy and vigour of the All Whites in Wellington and exposed as lacking in fundamental areas of the game.

New Zealand making the finals of the World Cup is an excellent achievement and something that is to a large degree in NZ, not appreciated for its difficulty. Not to mention that it is an extraordinarily long tournament with preliminaries for the next tournament taking place soon after the final takes place.

Being a part of the final 32 is an an excellent achievement in itself and now New Zealand put themselves before the world in what will be one of the most intensely scrutinized sporting events in the history of mankind.

The opponents are all excellent teams and present three different styles of football to the New Zealand side.

Italy
Italy of course bring a World Cup pedigree with them into every game they play. While in recent years they have not hit the heights of previous configurations of their countrymen, they are still outstandingly gifted, which, coupled with advanced and engineered training methods over a hundred or so years, puts them at a level that New Zealand can only dream of attaining. However, it is football, which over the course of its history has always provided upsets and quirks, especially in the World Cup.

Italy should be technically far too good for New Zealand and play around them to the goal. New Zealand will probably still have a few opportunities to score though. The Italians defensively are not the powerhouses that they once were. With Killlen, Smeltz, and Fallon, who are all good in the air, there could be a realistic threat on breaks and set pieces.

Italy are astonishingly good at football though, so it will probably be the most difficult game of many of the New Zealanders' lives. Italy should win comfortably, though it is a brave man who eliminates all possibilities at any time.

Paraguay
Paraguay are similar in size population to the small island nation from the Pacific, but in terms of football, that is where the similarity ends. Paraguay in the South American CONMEBOL confederation finished third in a 10 team qualifying group, beating Brazil and Argentina during qualification.

They again are leagues ahead of New Zealand in terms of player development and the evolution of their coaching theory. Without even mentioning the names of their players you are able to see that they are phenomenally talented when the results that brought them to the finals are considered. Excellent consistency and application of skill will be enough for Paraguay to win this game. Technically they will be similarly developed to the Italians, purely through the strength of their most oft met opponents.

In this match, as will be the case against the Italians, New Zealand will struggle to get a hold of the ball and will only have limited chances to do damage through an aerial threat. The style will change as well as the tempo of the match and the way the game pans out will be devoted to a different continental style. This will again leave New Zealand having to be highly drilled in terms of shape, and also awareness of movement and timing.

This game could prove to be even tougher than the Italy one. In the case of the game against the current world champions, Italy, the New Zealanders have at least played them as recently as the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year. Paraguay will play fast and skillful football that may leave the New Zealand team wondering what they are able to do to combat it. This will most likely be another loss for NZ, but at the same time, the players and New Zealand support should only be trying to take lessons from how they see Paraguay play and hope to apply these lessons to the New Zealand game in the future.

Slovakia
The variation in styles of play goes from the Mediterranean, to South America, and then to Eastern Europe.

Slovakia have played football as far back as 1939 when they beat the Germans 2-0. In the following years they were taken in as a part of Czechoslovakia and over the years they have contributed many excellent footballers to this former European powerhouse. Czechoslovakia were victorious in the 1976 European Championships, with a considerable amount of the players that made up this side being Slovakian. This means, from a historical perspective for Slovakian supporters, that it is seen as a game that will not present too many problems for them as a footballing unit.

Eastern European football is renowned for its excellent technical base and rugged physicality. Also a reliance on this technique to keep possession and wear opponents down. Certain flourishes of outrageous skill come in also, as will be the case in all three of the games New Zealand play.

There is a popular misconception in New Zealand that this game presents New Zealand with a chance at a victory, when the reality is again very far from this. Slovakia will present a rough and rugged, but very technically proficient style that will be another type of football for New Zealand to try to adapt to.

Czechoslovakia was at one stage the third ranked team in the world in the 1990s and Slovakia as a footballing entity has sprung up out of this pedigree. They will again, according to form and coaching development, be years ahead of New Zealand and it will again be a case of New Zealand functioning with scraps of possession trying to procure chances from set pieces and breaks. Another very tough fixture.

Conclusions
New Zealand go into the World Cup with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Regardless of the performances of the team in South Africa, New Zealand football as a unit will benefit hugely from its participation in this tournament and the administration and coaching sides of the game will be able to take excellent experience away from whatever happens and hopefully transcribe this into tangible benefits for the game in New Zealand. The players themselves have a chance to learn more in these three games than they have in all games previously in their careers. Only Ryan Nelsen and Chris Killen will have really encountered teams that are as technically gifted as these three sides on a regular basis.

The objectives for New Zealand then are clear. Take as much as possible from the experience and adapt it to the forward motion of the development of football in the Pacific. This can only lead to development of the game at home and in the future it could be looked upon as a triumph for New Zealand's footballing philosophy, even if the results in the tournament do not go to a winning plan.

The World Cup though and football in general, always has surprises in store. New Zealand will hope that they can spring one, on their esteemed and cultured opponents. Being there is the major triumph at present, it will come down to how the lessons of the next few months are learned, to see how New Zealand come out of this in the long haul.

This article first appeared at NZVirtualsport.co.nz

  http://www.blog.nzvirtualsport.co.nz

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert has named his 23-man squad for the World Cup, with uncapped midfielder Aaron Clapham the only shock inclusion in the party.

Clapham, who plays for Canterbury United in the semi-professional New Zealand Championship, has impressed all season long for his club side; being named the league’s Player of the Year.

He was included in the 15-man training squad for Australasia-based players and was given the chance to impress Herbert when he was selected for a New Zealand A side against a New Zealand Football Championship All Stars XI at the weekend. Clapham made the most of his opportunity, setting-up his side’s second goal in a 2-0 triumph.

"Aaron has come into this group and looked very comfortable," Herbert said of the 23-year-old.

"He is the type of player that should be around the international scene for many years and he has a big future in the professional game.“

Surprises in Herbert’s squad announcement were always likely to be few and far between after the former All Whites international said he would stick with the 18 players who achieved qualification for New Zealand for the first time in 28 years.

Aaron Scott is the only player who featured in qualifying to miss out, following the recruitment of fellow defenders Tommy Smith and Winston Reid. Both players have recently switched their allegiances to New Zealand having previously represented England Under-18s and Denmark Under-20s respectively.

Also featured in the squad is the New York Red Bulls defender Andy Boyens and midfielder Jeremy Christie, who plies his trade for Tampa Rowdies in the North American Soccer League.

The squad is due to assemble in Auckland on May 19, taking on local rivals Australia five days later. From there New Zealand travel to Austria for altitude training and two further friendlies against fellow World Cup participants Serbia and Slovenia.

With only captain Ryan Nelsen currently playing in one of Europe’s top leagues, the All Whites are rank outsiders for the tournament in South Africa. They begin their World Cup campaign against Slovakia in Rustenburg on June 16, before taking on World Champion’s Italy and finish off Group F against Paraguay.

New Zealand squad in full (New Zealand based, unless stated):

Goalkeepers: James Bannatyne (Team Wellington), Glen Moss (Melbourne Victory/ Australian A-League), Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix/ Australian A-League)

Defenders: Andy Boyens (New York Red Bulls/MLS, USA), Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix/ Australian A-League), Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn Rovers/English Premier League), Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland/Danish Superliga), Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix/ Australian A-League), Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town/Championship, England), Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City)

Midfielders: Andy Barron (Team Wellington), Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix/ Australian A-League), Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix/ Australian A-League), Jeremy Christie (FC Tampa Bay Rowdies/NASL, USA), Aaron Clapham (Canterbury United), Simon Elliott (unattached), Michael McGlinchey (Motherwell/Scottish Premier League), David Mulligan (unattached)

Forwards: Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets/ Australian A-League), Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle/England), Chris Killen (Middlesbrough/English Championship), Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United/ Australian A-League), Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion/English Premier League)

Despite their unbridled joy at qualifying for soccer’s showpiece for only the second time, and first since 1982, New Zealand are almost certainties to be one of the first sides on the plane home from South Africa.

After predictably topping the Oceania qualifying section, the All Whites came through a dramatic two-legged playoff against Asian Zone representatives Bahrain following a dramatic 1-0 victory in front of a record crowd in Wellington.

SCHEDULE

Slovakia: June 15

Italy: June 20

Paraguay: June 24

No matter who they were drawn against, New Zealand were always going to be the rank outsiders of the group, but, truth be told, coach Ricki Herbert will not be too disheartened by their schedule.

New Zealand’s opening group opponents, Slovakia, represent the best opportunity for them to pick up points. Despite topping their qualifying group, Slovakia are short on star names and are competing in their first major competition as an independent nation.

Although Italy are the World Cup holders, they are not the side of four years ago and New Zealand will have some reason for optimism in this fixture, having suffered only a narrow 4-3 defeat when the two sides met in a friendly last year.

Playing the Azzurri early on could also work to New Zealand’s favor, with Italy notoriously slow starters to major tournaments, even when coming out on top in Germany in 2006.

Paraguay will start as favorites to progress alongside Italy from group F, after coming through strongly from the perennially tough and grueling South American qualifying section.

KEY PLAYERS

In a side lacking in star quality, undoubtedly the most recognizable player for the All Whites is captain Ryan Nelsen.

As the only Kiwi currently plying his trade in one of Europe’s top leagues, the commanding Blackburn Rovers central defender has the expectation of a nation to be an inspirational force to his inexperienced teammates.

New Zealand also have some handy players at the other end of the pitch, most notably in Shane Smeltz.

The striker, who plays for Australian A-League side Gold Coast United, was the All Whites’ top scorer in qualifying and has also twice been named Oceania Player of the Year.

Alongside him in attack is likely to be powerful target man Chris Killen. Currently playing in England’s second tier for Middlesbrough, the former Glasgow Celtic forward may not be the most prolific scorer but he can always be relied upon to work hard for the team and create openings for others.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES 

While New Zealand are a side lacking in real technical ability, they will attempt to compensate for this with their physicality and direct style of play.

This attritional strategy could have success in throwing some sides, who do not often encounter this kind of approach, off their game.

However, a strong work ethic and long ball game can only take you so far and it should only be a matter of time before the superior quality of their opponents shine through.

Unlike most of his counterparts in South Africa, coach Herbert will have had the opportunity of working with the majority of his players for several weeks, and in many cases months, ahead of the tournament.

With most of his squad competing in the domestic leagues of Australia and New Zealand, whose seasons wrapped up in March and April respectively, Herbert has been able to work on every aspect of preparation with his group in an extensive training camp before traveling to South Africa in June.

This early break for much of his team will also prevent them from suffering the inevitable burn out, sure to be experienced by many other players, resulting from a long European season.

Given the choice, though, Herbert would undoubtedly wish more of the talent at his disposal had the experience of playing in a better standard of competition than those on offer in Oceania.

This lack of experience at the highest level is a major weakness coming into the World Cup. Although they may be rested up, many of his New Zealand side must also overcome the problems associated with, in many cases, having gone three months without a competitive match come the big kickoff in South Africa.

IT WOULD BE A GREAT WORLD CUP IF... 

In their only previous occasion at soccer’s high table, New Zealand were sent packing from Spain in 1982 without gaining a single point. Any improvement on that this time around will be seen as a success. Although striker Smoltz, among others, has talked up his side’s chances of surprising people and even making it through to the last 16, this seems wildly optimistic.

For New Zealand, a successful World Cup will be measured by how much the soccer authorities can capitalize on the fever surrounding qualification and build support for the game in the rugby loving nation.

IT WOULD BE A DISASTER IF… 

To a large degree, New Zealand really don’t have anything to lose in South Africa. For them, the playoff against Bahrain was their World Cup final; anything they achieve this summer will be a bonus.

However, everyone involved with the team will be motivated to prevent a total embarrassment of the kind Greece suffered in USA ’94, when they were knocked out after failing to earn a point, conceding 10 goals, and scoring none.

MY PREDICTION 

Despite a moderate group, the All Whites simply don’t have the quality or experience necessary to compete with the caliber of opposition they will come up against.

In a rare foray into life at this level, they showed at last year’s Confederations Cup that they are woefully lacking against top international opposition, being thumped 5-0 by Spain and even looking outclassed in defeat to the much maligned South Africa.

New Zealand will prop-up their group, with their only salvation possibly coming with a gutsy point against Slovakia.

A couple of days ago I was fortunate enough to tune into the match involving Mexico and New Zealand, a friendly preparatory fixture for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa 2010.

As a New Zealander, I was of course supporting the "All Whites", as they are known—which, by the way, has alarming connotations when it is taken into account where the world cup is being held, what with the whole apartheid history.

Back to the game, though. I was hoping to see the New Zealand side acquit themselves well against one of the top 20 nations of the world.

Unfortunately, I was witness to the yawning gulf that still exists between New Zealand and the rest of the world when it comes to playing good football. The New Zealanders were up against it of course, but that did not excuse the lack of ideas and technique they displayed.

It became apparent, after the opening exchanges, that New Zealand was in for a torrid time in the match, and that they would not see much of the ball. The unpleasant thing for New Zealand fans was the way that the ball was wasted when it did come into New Zealand's possession.

The staple decision from the Kiwi side was to play a couple of passes and then lump it up the field in the hope that it would be run onto or won by the strikers. It was almost laughable that this approach was used because the Mexicans, from the outset, were well set up, and extremely confident in all facets of the game.

They were not bothered by this approach and dealt with it easily, and at times it appeared as if the New Zealanders were playing a percentage game where they waited for a possible mistake from the defense that could lead to pressure that they could exploit.

This approach is actually used by many teams around the world on occasion, but if it is the principle focus of your game plan against a team consisting of technically proficient players you are in serious trouble.

The game, in the end, was won easily by the Mexicans with goals from Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela.

The Arsenal man displayed the strength and power he has gained from his time in England in shrugging off a New Zealand defender, but also the finesse and technical ability that is a staple in the Mexican game in beating another two players and the keeper to score.

The big problem for New Zealand is the reaction that has come out of the match in the aftermath. Much has been said about the "nuggety" performances and the "against the odds" effort, etc.

It has been postulated that New Zealand has a lot of positives to take out of the match, when in fact the match showed that technically New Zealand is decades behind the top sides of the world, and needs to stop making excuses and start to make serious changes to mindsets and attitudes that exist in the country's football culture.

It is no good to play the percentage game in international football that is so often seen on the pitches of New Zealand. That is, the game where it is played direct and at pace, relying on the dearth of technically gifted defensive units that succumb to pressure that enables more highly skilled teams to score goals because of defensive mistakes.  

This type of play is destined to fail as soon as a side meets a team that has a polished and confident defensive unit, as was the case when New Zealand played Mexico.

But the disturbing thing for New Zealand is that the culture of New Zealand football is still caught in the idea's of 1960's Britain, where many of the coaches who have formulated the modern game in New Zealand hail from.

The kick and rush idea has been exposed as not only ugly to watch, but also not effective against teams who play a possession game coupled with highly developed technique.

New Zealand does have time before the world cup to try to develop the continuity and effectiveness of its team for the group games. They could well put a side together that can give the sides they encounter a good game of football, but it will most likely not be much to watch.

The key to the future of New Zealand football is developing the culture of the game and bringing it level with the ideals of the top sides of the world.

Coaching techniques are being improved, and I have been lucky enough to witness first hand the newer methods that are being used with the younger players coming through at age group level in Hawkes Bay and other parts of the country.

The progression of ideas is the only way forward, and it will come with more time spent playing at the highest level of international competition.

Hopefully, when the tournament is over, New Zealand football will be better for the experience, and able to take tangible rewards in the form of new ideas and methodology throughout the game toward the betterment of New Zelands' football philosophy.  

There's a guy who comes to my house from time to time and does odd jobs. He's a Kiwi and very proud. When replacing the paving stones in the garden or looking at the dodgy patio door, he is usually waxing lyrical about the All Blacks, talking inside centres and wonky line-outs.

This time though, whilst looking at the garage door, he was talking about the All Whites. Quite enthusiastically.

He was telling me about the travails of the New Zealand national football team. He was telling me that Ryan Nelson was underrated and that a chap called Wynton Rufer used to be really good. But all of this was quite calm compared to his sheer, almost foaming at the mouth, enthusiasm he was displaying about the fact that New Zealand were going to this year's World Cup.

He is going of course, and I hope to see him there, but all of this talk about the All Whites was getting me intrigued. How exactly have New Zealand managed to find themselves in South Africa?

Every World Cup has one, don't they?

A fairy tale story about a team that comes from a far flung place and stands little chance in the three games they'll inevitably play and lose. These teams tend to have barmy supporters and the obligatory shots of thousands of fans in a pub waving flags about and getting drunk.

Over 34,000 people crammed themselves into Wellington Stadium, a record crowd by some margin, to see New Zealand beat Bahrain 1-0 and book their plane tickets. The scenes afterwards were of pure euphoria, a nation utterly gripped by a football story. It was clear to see New Zealand believed that it was all possible.

Coach Rikki Herbert always believed.

When I looked into it a little more, Herbert seemed to be the ultimate motivator, always saying that his players were only as good as the last match and talking about a destiny. It was hard not to get involved. I could suddenly see myself turning all white.

I went upstairs, took a shower, and got myself together. After the odd jobs guy had gone I immersed myself in English culture again. It didn't last long, mind you, as I started looking at how New Zealnd got there.

Of course, part of the reason why New Zealand got to South Africa was because Australia decided to play with bigger fish in Asia, leaving New Zealand having to negotiate games against Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia—not exactly Spain, Italy, and Germany—in order to have the right to play Bahrain in the playoff.

But you get the sense, even with Australia's presence in the Oceania group, that they would still be given a run for their money by New Zealand for that spot. Such is the belief and spirit that the team evokes.

They might not have many recognisable players. Fallon and Nelson are the only players that I know anything about. Many are based in Australia's A-League or lowly European Leagues.

None of that means a lot though, because the World Cup is all about having belief in your abilities and playing the game properly. I don't expect New Zealand to win games or progress, but I will be fist pumping when they score.