Full-time - 90'
Paraguay
0 - 0
New Zealand

Group F, 14:00 GMT, June 24, 2010

Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa

New Zealand's World Cup campaign ended with another draw as they held group winners Paraguay 0-0 but went out of the tournament.


MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: Lucas Barrios - It says a lot about the quality of the game that a substitute was the pick of the players, but the striker showed real intent when he was introduced. Looked lively after coming on, getting into good positions on the wings and producing a couple of dangerous crosses.

Paraguay verdict: Very disappointing following two impressive performances against Italy and Slovakia. Lacked a real cutting edge and failed to produce in the final third. Were reduced to woeful long-range efforts and must reproduce their form of the previous fixtures to have any hope of advancing.

New Zealand verdict: Too limited, the All Whites didn't push forward until the final ten minutes and never really looked like forcing anything from the game. They didn't possess enough quality but must be praised for their fantastic run - an unbeaten World Cup campaign represents an incredible achievement for the minnows.

Could do better: Oscar Cardozo - One shot from long range is all the striker had to show for his 66 fruitless minutes and he will almost certainly be dropped in favour of Barrios for Paraguay's second-round match. His hold-up play was abysmal and he is perhaps still feeling the effects of a pre-tournament injury.

Stat attack: Paraguay advanced from group play in both 1998 and 2002, but had the misfortune to face one of the eventual finalists in the second round in both years, losing to France in 1998 and Germany in 2002, both by a 10. They will have to negotiate a way past either Japan or Denmark in the second round this time, with Brazil their likely opponents in the quarter-finals.


New Zealand finished Group F unbeaten, having drawn with defending champions Italy and a talented Paraguay team who qualified ahead of Argentina in South America.

And another resolute performance by a nation playing at only their second World Cup - the first coming in 1982 when they lost all three matches and conceded 12 goals - will have at least given the fans back home who stayed up for the 2am kick-off New Zealand time something to cheer.

New Zealand's game-plan, as it had been all along, was to keep things locked down at the back. Their five-man defence, marshalled by Blackburn's Ryan Nelsen, was supplemented by holding midfielders Ivan Vicelich and Simon Elliot sitting just a few yards in front.

Playing for the first time in the tournament in the black shirts so synonymous with the country's rugby team, they began well.

Shane Smeltz, who attained hero status by scoring in the 1-1 draw with Italy, blazed wildly over from outside the penalty area in the fifth minute while Middlesbrough's Chris Killen was only inches away from connecting with Elliott's hanging free-kick to the far post.

When the space did open up for Paraguay, Nelson Valdez overhit his cross from the left while Denis Caniza followed suit with a volley after Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz had lifted the ball over Tony Lochhead.

It said a lot about New Zealand's tactics that right-back Caniza was getting all the chances as he hit a 20-yard swerving shot over the angle of crossbar and post and then dropped a dipping drive onto the roof of Mark Paston's net. Benfica striker Oscar Cardozo also blasted over as Paraguay finished the half on top.

New Zealand returned early after the interval and it was immediately apparent Herbert had released some of the shackles with Lochhead given more licence to get forward.

It almost paid off within three minutes of the restart when the left-back's cross deflected into the path of Elliott whose strike fizzed past Justo Villar's right-hand post.

Nelsen was booked for halting the run of former Blackburn team-mate Santa Cruz in the 57th minute but Cardozo's free-kick was disappointing.

Paston, who had been relatively untroubled, produced an instinctive save from new Sunderland midfielder Cristian Riveros' diving header as the South American's quality began to tell. His heroics continued as he dived low to his right to parry substitute Edgar Benitez's shot and brilliantly tipped the ball away from Lucas Barrios when he seemed certain to score.

The last ten minutes should have seen the charge of the All White Brigade but they had exerted so much energy in keeping Paraguay at bay there was little left in the tank.

Another draw ensured they finished above four-time World Cup winners Italy in third place, though, and that does them great credit, while Paraguay finished on top of Group F.