Group F
Manager: Ricki Herbert
Star Player : Ryan Nelsen
Best result: 1st round (1982)
All-time record: 3 games played, 0 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses
Goals for: 2, Goals against: 12
Biggest defeat: 4-0 vs. Brazil in 1982
Top scorer: Steve Summer, Steve Wooddin (1 goal)
Most appearances: Several players (3 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: Never
LIVE STREAM NEW ZEALAND MATCHES :
June 15, 2010 @ 12:30BST Group Stage Group F
New Zealand vs Slovakia
at Royal Bafokeng Stadium
June 20, 2010 @ 15:00BST Group Stage Group F
Italy vs New Zealand
at Mbombela Stadium
June 24, 2010 @ 15:00BST Group Stage Group F
Paraguay vs New Zealand
at Peter Mokaba Stadium
Short Team History New Zealand:
FIFA member since: 1948
Team nickname: The All Whites
All-time caps leader: Ivan Vicelich (65)
All-time leading scorer: Vaughan Coveny (28)
Notable achievements: Oceania Champions (1973, 1998, 2002, 2008)
Legendary Player: Born in England, Steve Sumner was an expatriate who was captain of the New Zealand team that qualified for the World Cup in 1982. He was the first player from the Oceania zone to score in World Cup competition.
Show your support for NEW ZEALAND
by buying a World Cup Live Channel
and Watch Live Stream Matches!
Buy
a NEW ZEALAND World Cup Soccer Channel !
Appearances at finals:
1982 - First round
Overall record at finals: Played 3, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 3.
Best performance: First round in 1982.
Most appearances at finals: Frank van Hattum (1982), Ricki Herbert (1982), Wynton Rufer (1982), Steve Wooddin (1982), Steve Sumner (1982), Keith Mackay (1982), Kenny Cresswell (1982), Adrian Elrick (1982), Allan Boath (1982), Duncan Cole (1982) - 3.
Most goals at finals: Steve Sumner (1982), Steve Wooddin (1982) - 1.
World Cup high: Qualifying for the 1982 World Cup by beating China 2-1 in neutral Singapore after a gruelling campaign through Oceania and Asia.
World Cup low: Crashing 5-2 to Scotland in their first ever World Cup match.
World Cup legend: Captain Steve Sumner was ever-present in qualifying and at the 1982 World Cup itself. His goal against Scotland was the first by any Oceanian player at a finals tournament.
The story so far: New Zealand's one and only World Cup finals appearance in Spain 1982 is now folklore for followers of football in the country. No team travelled further or played more games than the 'All Whites' as they qualified through Oceania and Asia. A 5-2 loss to Scotland in the first group game was a sign of things to come as 3-0 and 4-0 defeats to USSR and Brazil followed.
Fast-forward 28 years and Rory Fallon, the son of 1982 assistant coach Kevin Fallon, scored the only goal as New Zealand beat Bahrain in a play-off to return to the world stage in 2010.
Qualification: Other than South Africa, who qualified automatically as hosts, New Zealand had arguably the easiest path to the finals. They cruised past their Oceania Nations Cup rivals throughout 2008 and 2009 to qualify for Oceania's 'half' place at South Africa, with Shane Smeltz scoring eight of the All Whites' 14 goals.
That just left Asia's fifth-best side, Bahrain, in their way. Bahrain had lost to Trinidad & Tobago at this stage four years previously and, after grinding out a 0-0 draw in Manama, New Zealand inflicted similar pain by edging out their evenly matched opponents to send the nation into a rare ecstasy over the beautiful game.
Qualifying record: P6, W5, D0, L1, F14, A5, Pts15.
Most appearances: Ben Sigmund (8).
Top goalscorer: Shane Smeltz (8).
Team Profile New Zealand:
After a disastrous campaign four years ago, New Zealand bounced back in emphatic fashion under coach Ricki Herbert to qualify for their first appearance on the world stage in 28 years following a debut showing at Spain 1982. Herbert, and assistant Brian Turner, were both key figures in the campaign nearly three decades ago. The duo have turned the All Whites into a solid unit whose rearguard, the fifth-placed Asian nation Bahrain was unable to breach over 180 minutes of the intercontinental play-off.
Four years after elimination by the Solomon Islands, the Kiwis claimed the Oceania crown to earn a trip to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they showed solid form after a poor opening against European champions Spain. The dramatic South Africa 2010 play-off victory against Bahrain united the Rugby-mad nation behind the All Whites like never before, resulting in a national record crowd in the capital Wellington for the decisive qualifier.
The road to South Africa
New Zealand topped their Oceania qualification group comfortably winning their first five games before an inconsequential defeat in Fiji with many of the first-team regulars were unavailable. The Kiwis then had an 11-month wait before a two-legged meeting with the fifth-placed Asian nation. Bahrain saw off regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia to earn the right to play New Zealand, having also reached the same stage four years ago, only to fail against Trinidad and Tobago. In exhausting heat, New Zealand battled gamely in the first leg to earn a scoreless draw in Manama. The second leg was poised on a knife-edge throughout, with New Zealand triumphing courtesy of a thumping header from Rory Fallon in the final minute of the first half, though goalkeeper Mark Paston will equally be remembered in the years to come for his penalty save five minutes into the second half.
Captain and centre-back Ryan Nelsen is undoubtedly the highest profile and best credentialed member of the squad. The resolute defender has been a regular at Blackburn Rovers for a number of years, and is the only New Zealander to achieve such longevity in the English Premier League. At the other end of the pitch, the All Whites have a number of key attacking options led by the prolific Shane Smeltz. Oceania Player of the Year and Australian A-League top-scorer Smeltz has an all-round finishing ability, and is deadly in the air or with his feet. Celtic target-man Chris Killen is a perfect foil for Smeltz, while Fallon and teenage giant Chris Wood both possess quality aerial ability.
The coach
Ricki Herbert is one of New Zealand football’s most-famous figures, having been a regular member of the Spain ’82 squad and then becoming one of the first Kiwis to play in England which he did with Wolverhampton Wanderers. After assuming the reins of the national team in 2005, Herbert has for several seasons also been the coach of New Zealand’s only professional club, Wellington Phoenix who compete in the A-League. Well regarded across both New Zealand and Australia, Herbert has formed the All Whites into a solid working unit who produce consistent performances.
Previous FIFA World Cups
New Zealand have appeared on the world stage just once, with the qualification for the 1982 FIFA World Cup™ considered one of the country’s most famous sporting achievements. The squad attained stunning results including away wins in Australia, Saudi Arabia and China over a then-record 15-match qualification campaign. Featuring a teenage Wynton Rufer, who went on to become New Zealand’s most well-known export, the All Whites lost all three matches at Spain ’82, but were not disgraced in a high-quality group featuring Brazil, Soviet Union and Scotland.
Records
• Coach Ricki Herbert is set to claim the rare honour of featuring at the FIFA World Cup as a player and as a coach in the nation’s only two FIFA World Cup appearances.
• New Zealand are the second consecutive Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) member to qualify for the FIFA World Cup after Australia achieved the same feat in 2006.
What they said
“This group have given it everything, four years of total commitment. We’re back, we’re there. South Africa, here we come.” New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert.
0 comments:
Post a Comment