New Zealand at the World Cup

Posted by Kim Raggett on 18 June 2010 | 0 Comments

Tags: Football. Soccer, New Zealand, World Cup

Just for something different am going to talk sport - more specifically the FIFA World Cup currently being played in South Africa.

In a country which is best known for its' All Blacks rugby team it was the All Whites that this week made the world stand up and take notice of New Zealand. Being just the second time we have played in the finals of the World Cup New Zealand could be, and is, excited simply to be part of this truly international event. Not ever being one to be limited by the size of our country, the hopes of the team and the nation has been to show that we are capable of punching above our weight and are not just there to make up numbers.

This is also the first time the World Cup has been played in the social media age and though New Zealand has embraced Facebook, it has been a slower to take up Twitter and is still coming to terms with Foursquare, etc. This however is changing and was well pleased to see many a status update and tweet come through in relation to #NZL at the #WorldCup.  

The early hours of Tuesday morning (local time) saw many crowd local bars, clubs, living rooms and bedrooms to watch our team take on Slovakia in the first match of the World Cup finals. After 28 years of not seeing a New Zealand team play at this level the excitement and anticipation was up there, as to was the build up in familiarising a country with its' newest sporting heroes.

The first half of the game saw New Zealand hold their own with a half time score of 0-0. Five minutes into the second half Robert Vittek scores for Slovakia and the New Zealand supporters could be forgiven for feeling a little deflated. But not those out on the field, they were relentless in pursuing that equaliser goal and the first World Cup point to ever be achieved by a New Zealand team. Heading into extra time and the nation had its' heart in its' mouth. In one amazing moment Winston Reid heads the ball straight into the net, with it raised the hands and voices of New Zealanders all over the world. It may have been 1.20am on a Tuesday morning but the streets of Auckland and Wellington erupted with celebrations. Never has a country been so proud to achieve a draw! And proud we are of our All Whites.

With all of Group F locked at one point each, will you be watching as New Zealand take on Italy?

Enjoy every day :-)



Kim
(Kiwi05 on Twitter)

Kim Raggett
All About Sports and Photography
info@allaboutsports.co.nz