Manager: Ricki Herbert
Key player: Ryan Nelsen
Best: Round one (1982)
World ranking: 77
The Kiwis sealed a berth at only their second World Cup finals with a 1-0 aggregate play-off victory over Bahrain, winning the second game in Wellington in front of a New Zealand record football crowd of 35,100 thanks to Rory Fallon's header just before half-time. New Zealand were overwhelming favourites to win the Oceania group, which they did with relative ease, but it is their play-off win that shows they have the stomach for a fight.
The All Whites are one of the lowest-ranked sides at the finals and on paper appear to be the whipping boys. Their squad is largely a mixture of journeymen and lower league players, including Plymouth striker Fallon. However, they will have little to lose and do possess individuals, such as Blackburn defender Ryan Nelsen and Celtic's Chris Killen, who have played at a high level. |