Open Writing

Without a professional football league to call their own and just one pro team in the Australian A-league, New Zealand's players have come a long way to qualify for this World Cup finals.

Their key positive, like many teams of limited star power at this tournament, has been their organisation and they set about neutralising a lacklustre seeming Slovakia side with what seemed like a well rehearsed plan. Conceding possession in the Slovakia half, and pressing when Slovakia tried to gain ground in the New Zealand half.

If anything the New Zealand 'keeper Mark Paston, starting in place of first choice 'keeper Glen Moss who was serving a the last 2 games of a 4 game ban for swearing at a referee, was their weak link. Paston's first half performance was creaky in the first half - he was slow to balls and was eccentric on crosses but there was little he could do about the Slovakian goal.

The move was started off by Slovakia's brightest creative spark, Vladimir Weiss, the Slovakian move ended with a neatly looped cross from the right by Stanislav Sestak to Robert Vittek who made some space and firmly headed the ball past Paston. There was a hint of offside but the goal stood.

With the plan working well until half time it was unfortunate for New Zealand to fall behind but while the Slovakians had a purple patch following the goal it was inevitable that the altitude would have an effect on players and the game duly slowed down and lost momentum as the minutes ticked away.

New Zealand's Shane Smeltz sent a header wide in the last couple of minutes after Tony Lochhead provided a compelling pass - it seemed all over but Smeltz turned provider and crossed for Winston Reid to head an unlikely but deserved equaliser with just seconds of added time to go.

Reid earned a booking for his shirt-off celebration but every Kiwi will have felt the same as him today.