New Zealand’s last minute goal gives them a point against Slovakia
New Zealand’s Winston Reid managed to save a point for his team Tuesday by scoring a last-second goal against Slovakia to achieve a 1-1 draw. The point is crucial for New Zealand, who as the second to last ranked team in the 2010 South African World Cup needed to walk away from Slovakia with at least a point in hand.
Despite the late heroics, it was Slovakia who controlled almost the entire match. They buzzed around the New Zealand net for much of the game, firing 13 shots compared to New Zealand’s eight, and placed five shots on the New Zealand goalkeeper. The Slovakians also put enough pressure on the Kiwis to gain 10 corner kicks compared to New Zealand’s three.
Their efforts were rewarded at the 50 minute mark when striker Robert Vittek headed in a cross from fellow striker Stanislav Sestak to give the favourite Slovakians the advantage. The play was very close to being offside, but the referee ruled the goal was good.
The New Zealand side refused to give up though, and began increasingly applying pressure late around the Slovakian netminder, Jan Mucha. Shane Smeltz nearly tied it in the 84th minute after he was served a cross, but barely missed the net.
It was Reid though who came up with the last-minute heroics, heading a cross in the lower right side of the net fully three minutes into injury time, and sending New Zealand fans into a frenzy. Smeltz redeemed himself for his missed header minutes earlier by having served up the cross to Reid. Shortly thereafter the final whistle was blown.
New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert praised his team’s tenacity after the game. "I thought the opening game was a good chance to get something and I would have been disappointed with a loss after conceding a goal like that. But we kept coming, the boys kept coming."
Missed opportunities for Slovakia
Though they led through most of the game, Slovakia will be kicking itself for not having capitalised on the many opportunities they managed to create for themselves throughout the match. Vittek nearly put the game out of reach in the 70th minute when he found himself seemingly alone point-blank with New Zealand goalkeeper Mark Paston until a sliding Reid knocked the ball away at the last moment.
Minutes earlier midfielder Marek Hamsik was given a solid opportunity to score from a nice pass from Sestak, but nerves may have gotten the best of the 22-year-old as he sent it far above New Zealand’s net, out of danger.
The Slovakian coach, Vladimir Weiss, said after the game: "This is a minor sporting tragedy for us. We were the better team over the game. It's a pity we didn't take our chances."
Both teams in tough
While both teams leave the game with a single point, the result is a missed opportunity for Slovakia. With matches coming up against Paraguay and Italy, they will still have to perform very well in order to advance. Their opening match against New Zealand was easily their best chance to win three points and get an early head start, particularly after Paraguay and Italy tied each other. It is very possible for both Paraguay and New Zealand to defeat New Zealand, meaning the Slovakians will have to aim for wins rather than just holding out for a tie in their upcoming matches.
For the New Zealanders, the draw gives them their first ever World Cup point. They were last in the tournament in 1982, where they lost three straight to be eliminated quickly. Their chances of advancing are still the worst in their group, but the dramatic last minute goal will at least give New Zealand fans something to remember.
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