Let's get one thing straight from the off. The New Zealand side that arrives for this World Cup is not the same band of semi professionals who charmed...
Let's get one thing straight from the off. The New Zealand side that arrives for this World Cup is not the same band of semi professionals who charmed their way to three draws in South Africa back in 2010. That team, for all its admirable resilience, was an outlier, a group of plucky underdogs who parked the bus so effectively they simply refused to lose. This current All Whites squad, ranked 85th in the world and cast as the lowest qualifiers at the tournament, carries a different kind of belief entirely. They are now only ninety minutes away from the knockout rounds.Darren Bazeley has assembled a blend of promising young talent and seasoned campaigners that speaks of genuine tactical flexibility. Paul Ifill, a man who knows the fabric of New Zealand football better than most, has stated this group is "miles better" than the class of 2010. That is not a throwaway line of nostalgia. It is a statement of fact from a game that has evolved. Gone are the days of relying on a low block and sheer hope. This team can transition, they can hold possession when required, and they have a clinical edge in the final third that was previously absent.But here is the rub. Standing between New Zealand and history is a Group G that reads like a gauntlet. Belgium, ranked ninth, Egypt at 29th, and Iran at 21st. On paper, it is a tall order, a genuine mountain to climb for a nation whose last World Cup appearance ended without a single win. Yet paper does not win football matches, especially when the opposition has to face a side that has nothing to lose and everything to prove. The All Whites are no longer just making up the numbers. They have come to compete, and after years of development and professionalisation, they have the skills to do it.So the question that hangs over this match, and indeed the entire group stage, is a simple one. Can the new New Zealand bottle that same resilience of 2010 while adding the quality required to actually cross the line If their recent form and this squad's growing confidence are anything to go by, we might be witnessing the start of a genuine fairytale. The knockout stage is no longer a fantasy for these part timers turned pioneers. It is a tangible goal, and they are just ninety minutes from grabbing it.
