The surprising results keep coming as teams adopt a staunch defense when faced with perceived superior opposition.
On Sunday at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, New Zealand shocked defending World Cup champion Italy by gaining a 1–1 draw.
New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert put things in perspective.
“I think our entire country, which numbers four million inhabitants, came to a stop to watch our performance. It’s an incredible result for football in New Zealand. It’s historic and greater than anything else we’ve ever achieved when you consider the standing of our opponents,” Herbert said on FIFA.com.
“We didn’t get a lot of luck but we didn’t create much either,” said Italian coach Marcelo Lippi.
New Zealand took the lead in the seventh minute when Shane Smeltz poked in a flick-on header off a free kick. Smeltz looked to be in an offside position when the header was flicked forward to him but the referee’s assistance must have ruled that he was not in a position to interfere with the play. Italian veteran defender Fabio Cannavaro failed to adequately deal with the flick-on header thus allowing Smeltz to score the goal.
Italy responded on the half-hour mark when Vincenzo Iaquinta scored from the penalty spot after Daniele De Rossi was pulled down in the box by Tommy Smith, who was yellow-carded for the foul.
Italy then took control of the game, as if a great deal of pressure had been lifted off their shoulders. The 73 places in FIFA rankings separating the two teams seemed to be appropriate once again.
New Zealand keeper Mark Paston had a superb game for the Kiwis, who qualified for the World Cup against opposition such as Solomon Islands and Fiji. But now, against Italy, they proved they belong at the World Cup with their tenacious defending led by captain Ryan Nelsen.
“It perhaps wasn’t the game of the century in terms of spectacle, but we showed an enormous amount of hunger and determination,” said Nelsen on FIFA.com “It leaves me speechless when I think about what we’ve accomplished thanks to everyone’s dedication to the team as a whole.”
With the draw, both New Zealand and Italy have two points and are tied for second place in Group F. Paraguay leads the group with four points after their convincing 2–0 win over Slovakia earlier in the day.
Italy faces a must-win game against Slovakia if they are to move on. “We now have to win the last match and roll up our sleeves because we have no intention of going home,” said Lippi.
The South American teams continue to impress, moving to a 7 wins, 0 losses, 2 draws record at the World Cup after Brazil beat Ivory Coast 3–1 on Sunday. By contrast, the African teams continue to struggle at the World Cup with a combined record of 1–7–4.
On Sunday at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, New Zealand shocked defending World Cup champion Italy by gaining a 1–1 draw.
New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert put things in perspective.
“I think our entire country, which numbers four million inhabitants, came to a stop to watch our performance. It’s an incredible result for football in New Zealand. It’s historic and greater than anything else we’ve ever achieved when you consider the standing of our opponents,” Herbert said on FIFA.com.
“We didn’t get a lot of luck but we didn’t create much either,” said Italian coach Marcelo Lippi.
New Zealand took the lead in the seventh minute when Shane Smeltz poked in a flick-on header off a free kick. Smeltz looked to be in an offside position when the header was flicked forward to him but the referee’s assistance must have ruled that he was not in a position to interfere with the play. Italian veteran defender Fabio Cannavaro failed to adequately deal with the flick-on header thus allowing Smeltz to score the goal.
Italy responded on the half-hour mark when Vincenzo Iaquinta scored from the penalty spot after Daniele De Rossi was pulled down in the box by Tommy Smith, who was yellow-carded for the foul.
Italy then took control of the game, as if a great deal of pressure had been lifted off their shoulders. The 73 places in FIFA rankings separating the two teams seemed to be appropriate once again.
New Zealand keeper Mark Paston had a superb game for the Kiwis, who qualified for the World Cup against opposition such as Solomon Islands and Fiji. But now, against Italy, they proved they belong at the World Cup with their tenacious defending led by captain Ryan Nelsen.
“It perhaps wasn’t the game of the century in terms of spectacle, but we showed an enormous amount of hunger and determination,” said Nelsen on FIFA.com “It leaves me speechless when I think about what we’ve accomplished thanks to everyone’s dedication to the team as a whole.”
With the draw, both New Zealand and Italy have two points and are tied for second place in Group F. Paraguay leads the group with four points after their convincing 2–0 win over Slovakia earlier in the day.
Italy faces a must-win game against Slovakia if they are to move on. “We now have to win the last match and roll up our sleeves because we have no intention of going home,” said Lippi.
The South American teams continue to impress, moving to a 7 wins, 0 losses, 2 draws record at the World Cup after Brazil beat Ivory Coast 3–1 on Sunday. By contrast, the African teams continue to struggle at the World Cup with a combined record of 1–7–4.
