New Zealand 0
Iraq 0
At an Ellis Park ground on which one team in black has savoured only scant success in nine outings over more than 80 years, it was fitting another team playing in black yesterday claimed an historic breakthrough.
The scoreboard after 90 minutes of pulsating soccer at the famous ground read
New Zealand 0 Iraq 0.
That the teams between them had not scored a goal in 540 minutes of football was brushed aside as irrelevant in the context of the bigger picture.
The point the All Whites, playing in their alternative black strip, so deservedly claimed was the first by a New Zealand team in 12 attempts at a senior Fifa tournament stretching back to the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
The unbridled joy on the New Zealand bench when top English referee Howard Webb blew for fulltime was understandable.
That, by not surrendering to the Asian champions, the All Whites allowed South Africa, beaten 2-0 by Spain in a match played at the same time, to progress to this week's semifinals brought even more joy to the 23,000-plus crowd who hailed the black-shirted Kiwis as their heroes.
Iraq, ranked five ahead of New Zealand on the latest Fifa list and who, in October 2004, had been ranked as high as 39, needed a victory to progress.
Led by strong games from new boys Ben Sigmund and Aaron Scott, and with the effervescent Leo Bertos utterly dominant on the left, New Zealand produced by far their best effort of the tournament.
From the opening minute of that first spell to the last when Chris Killen failed to get the power and direction he sought to his header from a Simon Elliott corner, New Zealand showed they belonged.
In that period they enjoyed 55 per cent of possession, forced five corners to one and had a shot count of 9-3 in their favour.
Given another chance after coach Ricki Herbert had shown his hand in earlier matches, Bertos and Jeremy Brockie responded as Herbert had hoped they would.
The only disappointment, the failure of the twin strike force of Shane Smeltz and Chris Killen to do better with the service they were given from a midfield who battled tirelessly for the cause.
In one frantic seven-minute spell midway through the first spell, Bertos was twice denied by goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid, Smeltz shot wide and he and Killen both sent headed attempts wide of the goal. One finding the mark could have been a match winner.
The second half failed to produce the same magic on attack with New Zealand in the end thankful for two superb saves by outstanding goalkeeper Glen Moss and a despairing clearance off the line from Tony Lochhead to deny substitute Fareed Majeed what would have been a winner deep into stoppage time.
The final whistle, at a stadium where the All Blacks have only won twice and have lost seven times, the All Whites could hold heads high.
