Tommy Smith was the late hero for the All Whites as they clinched a place in the next round of the World Cup qualifiers with a 2-1 win over New Caledonia tonight.
Smith rose high in the box to head a goal in stoppage time that clinched what had appeared an unlikely win at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium.
After dominating the first half, the All Whites slumped badly in the second, conceding an equaliser and generally being out-played by the Pacific Islanders.
It seemed certain the game was going to end in a draw but you never say never in football.
With seconds left, Kosta Barbarouses floated in a free kick, and after new captain Winston Reid had the first go, Ipswich defender Smith rose with power and grace and lofted the ball over New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine.
The All Whites took a lead after just 10 minutes when veteran Chris Killen, pushed back into midfield, scored with his head.
Chris Wood should have made it 2-0 when he had a clear shot just five minutes into the second half, but his blazing low effort was well saved by Nyikeine.
Instead, the New Caledonians were the ones celebrating following a cracking goal.
Bertrand Kai floated in a delicate pass, and Cesar Lolohea showed sublime skill to chest it down and bury the ball past Mark Paston.
That shocked the All Whites and silenced the crowd, at least for a while.
There was a flutter of excitement when a Wood free kick hit the bar, and a massive groan when Wood missed from right in front after being teed up by Marco Rojas.
Much of the rest of the half belonged to the New Caledonians, who capitalised on a flaky All Whites midfield.
The All Whites looked disjointed, and for every promising raid forward, there was a loose pass in the middle, or a gap left for the New Caledonians to expose.
There was a late shout for a penalty when Shane Smeltz was challenged in the box - he was left with blood gushing out of his head - but it went unheeded.
Barbarouses also had a great late opportunity but was foiled by a well-timed tackle. Thankfully, Smith did the job his forwards could not.
Earlier, the All Whites had dominated the first half but could not convert a number of opportunities following Killen's goal.
The front line looked particularly menacing, asWood dominated the aerial battles, Rojas sent in plenty of sweetly-timed crosses, and Smeltz lurked with intent.
Smeltz blazed over the bar, and Reid tried a bicycle kick that was on target but went straight at the goalkeeper.
Rojas nearly set up two goals from free kicks. Tommy Smith headed one straight on to the crossbar, and Wood sent another over the bar.
The final significant action of the first half was a goalmouth flurry, with Smeltz, Killen, Wood and Smith all getting chances.
Collectively, the All Whites dominated, but New Caledonia had two of the better individuals on the park.
Attacking midfielder Lolohea delivered some lovely balls into the box, and star forward Georges Gope-Fenepej showed his pace and skill on the ball.
All Whites 2 (Chris Wood 10, Tommy Smith 90), New Caledonia 1 (Cesar Lolohea 56). HT: All Whites 1-0.
