Football: Peru just a bit too classy in the end

Peru's Christian Ramos, front, celebrates scoring his side's second goal against New Zealand. Photo / AP Photo

Only now are we getting the true sense of how much Chris Wood was hampered coming into the All Whites' playoff campaign against Peru. His hamstring injury was significant. He hardly trained in Wellington and was nursed all the way to Lima in the lead-up to game two.

Wood's limited involvement can't be overstated. He is New Zealand's most obvious source of goals and to have his contribution so severely limited was a major blow to their chances.

Some say Wood should have started in Lima. But Anthony Hudson knew he realistically only had sixty minutes to utilize him and had to decide when that hour was to his best advantage.

What if Wood had started and come off with New Zealand behind? What if the game had finished 0-0 and gone to extra-time? What then?

You might say the All Whites could have scored if Wood had been on from the start, and that's certainly possible. But a choice had to be made. Leaving him on the bench and bringing him on at half-time (once we knew there'd be no extra-time and with New Zealand behind) was a pragmatic decision.

Peru's game plan was obvious from the outset; attack down both flanks and put New Zealand under pressure. The two fullbacks - Miguel Trauco and Luis Advincula (who didn't start the first leg) - were a constant menace and under clear instructions to get forward, which they did gleefully and often.

To the All Whites' credit, they weathered the early storm with goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic to the fore, but he couldn't do much about either goal, both of which flew past him. On at least two other occasions he saved his side from further damage with excellent reaction saves. He leaves Lima with reputation enhanced.

Others do, too. Winston Reid was again mountainous in defence and Ryan Thomas showed his class in both games. They - along with Marinovic - will form the spine of New Zealand's next tilt at World Cup qualification in four years from now.

But in the final wash-up, Peru were just a bit too classy. There can be no argument about that. Faced with the almost intolerable pressure of thirty-five years of hurt felt by 30-million of their countrymen, they delivered. They deserved to win.

Having been in Lima this past week, it's obvious how much this means to the people here. They celebrated long into the night and those festivities will continue for some time.

Starved of World Cup football for so long, they can finally join the party, rather than watch from outside with noses pressed up against the window as they have for the last three-and-a-half decades.