KEY POINTS:
A year to the day after their historic 3-1 win over Georgia, an unheralded, unfancied All Whites side yesterday wrote another gripping chapter in New Zealand footballing lore with a dramatic draw with Wales.
Written off, and at justifiably long odds, the All Whites plonked another feather in
coach Ricki Herbert's cap with a gutsy effort which twice forced Wales to come from behind to salvage anything from a game they were expected to win in a canter.
A week out from a vital Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic, the Welsh, ranked 75 in the world, were almost undone by the gritty 127th-ranked New Zealanders.
Stung after just 1m 42s when Shane Smeltz whipped home a pin-point left-foot shot, the home side were rarely allowed to settle by a team which bore little resemblance to the XI who played in the ground-breaking win over Georgia.
The only survivors, Jeremy Christie and Leo Bertos, were joined by several players regarded at best as "bench back-ups".
The rookie centre-back pairing of Andy Boyens and a recalled Ben Sigmund - with just 10 minutes of international football between them - played like seasoned pros against a Welsh side which boasted five players from the English Premier League.
Going with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Chris James playing in behind Smeltz, the All Whites seized every opportunity, particularly in the first half, to press forward with Bertos and captain Tim Brown ensuring a supply of good ball to their front-runners.
That determination to press forward cost the visitors in the 18th minute when Ryan Giggs gathered a ball from a ricochet, broke on the right and passed to Craig Bellamy who made it 1-1.
Within six minutes, the All Whites were back in front after Brown delivered perfectly for Smeltz to rise and nod home.
Hopes of holding that advantage to the break were undone in the 38th minute when 17-year-old Chris Gunter played the ball in to Bellamy who muscled his way into the danger zone before unleashing a shot which took a deflection en route to Mark Paston's goal.
The visitors almost stole it when Smeltz was just millimetres from claiming his hat-trick in the 72nd minute, the ball coming off the inside post.
While the All Whites fell off the pace a trifle, they never resorted to an "all hands to the pump" defence.
Fullbacks James Pritchett and Tony Lochhead had a torrid time as the Welsh mounted many of their attacks down the flanks.
Herbert, understandably, was buoyed by the unflagging effort of his charges.
"When people switch on the TV back home and see [Manchester United's] Giggs and [Liverpool's] Bellamy, they're household names.
"So for us to get this result should generate a lot of enthusiasm and credibility for where we are heading.
"I think they [Wales] became quite desperate for the first 45 minutes and possibly the first 20 minutes of the second half when we were very much in the game. The players coped very well.
"These guys wanted to be here. They have worked very hard and I'm very pleased for them."
Herbert, and assistant coach Brian Turner, should also take their share of the kudos.
They never lost faith and were justly rewarded with a performance against the odds.
Their joy was shared, no doubt, by New Zealand Football chief executive Graham Seatter who continued to push for the game in face of massive criticism that it was a lost cause.
It was anything but.