New Zealand football in 2010 is echoing that of Australia four years ago, and the two are distinctly comparable. A nation from Down Under scrapes through a qualifying play-off, ending decades of disappointment in the 'footballing wilderness' since their last appearance. Their return to the world stage does wonders for football back home, igniting fresh interest in a land where 'soccer' takes a back seat to a more grotesque code of football. During the seasons anticipating and following the World Cup, the popularity of their domestic league flourishes and crowds swell to sizes greater than ever.
Both sides' World Cup campaigns were successful beyond expectations, and while Australia made it past the group stage, New Zealand truly impressed the world, and their journey provides a better tale of 'triumph of the underdog'.
Drawn into perhaps the weakest group at the World Cup, with Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia, the All Whites were seen as one of the worst teams in South Africa. They opened their tournament versus the Slovaks, and both sides employed cautious tactics. Despite a decent New Zealand defence, Robert Vittek headed the Slovaks into the lead after 50 minutes. In a dour match, the highlight was a dramatic 93rd-minute Paul Reid header that stole a point for the All Whites. Neither side deserved to win but the draw was certainly a victory for the Kiwis.
Next opponents were the Azzuri, champions of the world. Even a draw would be a mighty effort and amazingly, New Zealand scored first for an improbable 1-0 lead. Predictably, they spent the rest of the match fighting off Italian attacks, and slipped to 1-1 after a penalty given for a tug on the shirt of the physically unstable Dani de Rossi. Nevertheless, New Zealand showed 'heart' and 'spirit' and 'discipline' et al, keeping Italy at bay until the final whistle, and the result was the Cup's biggest upset so far, grabbing headlines worldwide.
Late into the Italy match, Ricki Herbert (below) subbed on Andy Barron, who works full-time at a Westpac bank, playing football for semi-professional club Team Wellington in New Zealand's domestic league. Herbert admits his reason for bringing on Barron was less about tactics and more to prove that amateur footballers can mix it with big guns at the World Cup. This can hardly be proved on such little evidence, but that's missing the point. God bless Herbert, he saw the fairytale and made it happen: amateur footballers matching millionaire world champions, that's brilliant. Another way to look at it is that in Italy, there are 4.9 million footballers--more people than the entire New Zealand population.
Needing a victory in its last match, the All Whites really should have taken the game to Paraguay, who would be safely through with one point. New Zealand were defending for hefty periods, and rarely threatened, ending in a nil-all draw. (Meanwhile, Slovakia actually defeated Italy; an even bigger upset that pushed New Zealand's into the shadows.)
Nevertheless, the World Cup was a huge success for the Kiwis. It's a great achievement to finish undefeated, not to mention, incredibly, above the world champions in the group. Interestingly, we can say that both Italy and New Zealand were winless at the World Cup, which goes to show the extreme range of expectations.
Notable trivia is that the Netherlands' loss to Spain in the final means that New Zealand were the only team to finish the World Cup undefeated. Every other team either lost at least once in the group stage or were knocked out later on--Spain, of course, lost to Switzerland in their opening match.
Both sides' World Cup campaigns were successful beyond expectations, and while Australia made it past the group stage, New Zealand truly impressed the world, and their journey provides a better tale of 'triumph of the underdog'.
Drawn into perhaps the weakest group at the World Cup, with Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia, the All Whites were seen as one of the worst teams in South Africa. They opened their tournament versus the Slovaks, and both sides employed cautious tactics. Despite a decent New Zealand defence, Robert Vittek headed the Slovaks into the lead after 50 minutes. In a dour match, the highlight was a dramatic 93rd-minute Paul Reid header that stole a point for the All Whites. Neither side deserved to win but the draw was certainly a victory for the Kiwis.
Next opponents were the Azzuri, champions of the world. Even a draw would be a mighty effort and amazingly, New Zealand scored first for an improbable 1-0 lead. Predictably, they spent the rest of the match fighting off Italian attacks, and slipped to 1-1 after a penalty given for a tug on the shirt of the physically unstable Dani de Rossi. Nevertheless, New Zealand showed 'heart' and 'spirit' and 'discipline' et al, keeping Italy at bay until the final whistle, and the result was the Cup's biggest upset so far, grabbing headlines worldwide.
Late into the Italy match, Ricki Herbert (below) subbed on Andy Barron, who works full-time at a Westpac bank, playing football for semi-professional club Team Wellington in New Zealand's domestic league. Herbert admits his reason for bringing on Barron was less about tactics and more to prove that amateur footballers can mix it with big guns at the World Cup. This can hardly be proved on such little evidence, but that's missing the point. God bless Herbert, he saw the fairytale and made it happen: amateur footballers matching millionaire world champions, that's brilliant. Another way to look at it is that in Italy, there are 4.9 million footballers--more people than the entire New Zealand population.Needing a victory in its last match, the All Whites really should have taken the game to Paraguay, who would be safely through with one point. New Zealand were defending for hefty periods, and rarely threatened, ending in a nil-all draw. (Meanwhile, Slovakia actually defeated Italy; an even bigger upset that pushed New Zealand's into the shadows.)Nevertheless, the World Cup was a huge success for the Kiwis. It's a great achievement to finish undefeated, not to mention, incredibly, above the world champions in the group. Interestingly, we can say that both Italy and New Zealand were winless at the World Cup, which goes to show the extreme range of expectations.
Notable trivia is that the Netherlands' loss to Spain in the final means that New Zealand were the only team to finish the World Cup undefeated. Every other team either lost at least once in the group stage or were knocked out later on--Spain, of course, lost to Switzerland in their opening match.
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