Bahrain 0 New Zealand 0
BAHRAIN: Captain Ryan Nelsen is upbeat about the All Whites' chances of making the World Cup finals because he says Bahrain have already fired their best shots.
''That was the best they threw at us,'' he said after his side's 0-0 draw in Bahrain on Saturday. ''I know we've got a lot more to come.''
New Zealand Football is salivating at the prospect of a full house in Wellington for the November 14 return leg that will determine which nation qualifies for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
The All Whites stand a sporting chance of making the finals for the first time since 1982.
Nelsen said Bahrain were still ''huge favourites to win the tie'' because Saturday's match was their 19th game together and the Kiwis have played just seven.
''What [the draw] has done is it has given us an even greater chance than it did in two legs. Now we've got one leg to do it.''
Nelsen said the All Whites had been determined to take a positive result back to Wellington.
''It just sets it all up,'' he said. ''No matter what happens, it's going to be a fantastic spectacle. There's so much on the line. It's games like this that players dream about. I love this. The bigger the game the better and it doesn't get any bigger than this. It's 90 minutes, whoever wins gets to the World Cup, do or die, no messing around, love it. Can't be more exciting. It was very important to take the game to Wellington. We didn't know what Bahrain were going to give us, we didn't know what the heat would do to us and how players would react.
''The one thing we wanted to do was show desire and commitment. I think we got that in abundance, to tell you the truth. It's going to make a very exciting game in Wellington. I don't think there'll be many empty seats in that stadium come November 14.''
Coach Ricki Herbert, who roared himself so hoarse he struggled to speak above a whisper at the start of the post-match press conference, shrugged off a Bahraini interviewer's suggestion that the All Whites had been lucky to escape with a draw.
''No, I think we earned a very good point. We're under no illusions about what we have in front of us now. The nation will be excited that we brought the tie home,'' he said, adding that Westpac Stadium, known locally as the Cake Tin, would be sold out. ''It's up to us to put a couple of balls in the back of the net and win the tie.''
Herbert hailed the All Whites' performance as the best of his four-year tenure but said: ''We have no illusions about what the task at home still needs to be.''
He said Bahrain had produced an ''absolutely outstanding performance'' to draw 2-2 with Saudi Arabia away in the Asian fifth-place play-off, but also noted they lost heavily in Sydney to an Australian team comprised mainly of A-League players.
The Kiwis stuck with their decision to start three strikers - Shane Smeltz, Rory Fallon and Chris Killen - in a 4-3-4 formation.
BAHRAIN: Captain Ryan Nelsen is upbeat about the All Whites' chances of making the World Cup finals because he says Bahrain have already fired their best shots.
''That was the best they threw at us,'' he said after his side's 0-0 draw in Bahrain on Saturday. ''I know we've got a lot more to come.''
New Zealand Football is salivating at the prospect of a full house in Wellington for the November 14 return leg that will determine which nation qualifies for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
The All Whites stand a sporting chance of making the finals for the first time since 1982.
Nelsen said Bahrain were still ''huge favourites to win the tie'' because Saturday's match was their 19th game together and the Kiwis have played just seven.
''What [the draw] has done is it has given us an even greater chance than it did in two legs. Now we've got one leg to do it.''
Nelsen said the All Whites had been determined to take a positive result back to Wellington.
''It just sets it all up,'' he said. ''No matter what happens, it's going to be a fantastic spectacle. There's so much on the line. It's games like this that players dream about. I love this. The bigger the game the better and it doesn't get any bigger than this. It's 90 minutes, whoever wins gets to the World Cup, do or die, no messing around, love it. Can't be more exciting. It was very important to take the game to Wellington. We didn't know what Bahrain were going to give us, we didn't know what the heat would do to us and how players would react.
''The one thing we wanted to do was show desire and commitment. I think we got that in abundance, to tell you the truth. It's going to make a very exciting game in Wellington. I don't think there'll be many empty seats in that stadium come November 14.''
Coach Ricki Herbert, who roared himself so hoarse he struggled to speak above a whisper at the start of the post-match press conference, shrugged off a Bahraini interviewer's suggestion that the All Whites had been lucky to escape with a draw.
''No, I think we earned a very good point. We're under no illusions about what we have in front of us now. The nation will be excited that we brought the tie home,'' he said, adding that Westpac Stadium, known locally as the Cake Tin, would be sold out. ''It's up to us to put a couple of balls in the back of the net and win the tie.''
Herbert hailed the All Whites' performance as the best of his four-year tenure but said: ''We have no illusions about what the task at home still needs to be.''
He said Bahrain had produced an ''absolutely outstanding performance'' to draw 2-2 with Saudi Arabia away in the Asian fifth-place play-off, but also noted they lost heavily in Sydney to an Australian team comprised mainly of A-League players.
The Kiwis stuck with their decision to start three strikers - Shane Smeltz, Rory Fallon and Chris Killen - in a 4-3-4 formation.
