Kiwis kick off Football World Cup quest
31 May 2010
New Zealand’s All Whites have taken the first step towards Football World Cup glory, winning against favourites Serbia at an international warm-up match in Austria.
New Zealand’s national football team, ranked 78th in the world, beat Serbia - ranked 15th - in a 1-0 upset victory. The Serbian team is made up of top English and European football players.
The All Whites’ winning goal and the only one scored during the game was struck by forward Shane Smeltz.
The All Whites are hoping to repeat their win in South Africa on 15 June during their opening match against Slovakia.
Shane Smeltz says the win has greatly boosted the confidence of the team for the Football World Cup. The All Whites earned a spot in the World Cup finals - the first time in 28 years - after beating Bahrain in November.
"[Serbia] are no mugs obviously. We’re away from home playing against a top nation who many think are dark horses for the World Cup. We will take some confidence from it but we won’t be getting carried away either," said Smeltz.
Underdogs' hope
New Zealand’s win against Serbia is just their second on European soil but Smeltz says the team will not be resting on their laurels just yet. Instead, the All Whites are practising harder than ever in the hope of winning their World Cup opener against Slovakia.
Squad members who did not play during the Serbian match started training just minutes after their historic win.
All Whites coach Ricki Herbert also heaped praise on two young Kiwi newcomers - Winston Reid and Tommy Smith, who he said formed a winning defensive duo despite their lack of experience. Both Smith and Reid had played club football in Europe and represented other countries but only at youth level.
Herbert said it was a testament to the team’s determination to win that they performed so well during the match, despite a hectic travel and training schedule.
"If we’re going to have a measuring stick then Serbia was it, so the ones who took the pitch certainly haven’t done themselves any harm," Herbert said.
Trophy visits New Zealand
The Football World Cup trophy dropped in for a visit in New Zealand as part of a whirlwind world tour in April. The one-day visit was a highlight on the football calendar for many Kiwi fans.
Many of the All whites were in attendance to greet the arrival of the cup in Auckland - where it was officially welcomed at the Sky City Convention Centre. Five hundred Kiwi footballs fans, who won a national competition to view the cup, also had a chance to mingle with some of football’s elite.
The FIFA World Cup, also dubbed the Football World Cup, is an international men’s football championship held every four years. Brazil has won the World Cup five times since its inception in 1930, and is the only team to have played in every single tournament. Italy is the current holder of the cup.
The World Cup is the most-viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated audience of 715.1 million for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
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Football World Cup visits NZ
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