RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – A last gasp Winston Reid header deep into injury time earned New Zealand an historic and dramatic 1-1 draw against Slovakia in Rustenburg to leave the All Whites firmly in the mix in Group F at the FIFA World Cup.
With time ticking away and New Zealand a goal down to a 50th minute Robert Vittek header, Reid climbed high over Zdenko Strba at the back post to meet a perfectly flighted Shane Smeltz cross, sparking wild celebrations throughout the New Zealand squad.
The draw earns New Zealand its first ever point at a FIFA World Cup finals and leaves all four teams in Group F level on one point after Monday’s 1-1 draw between Italy and Paraguay.
“We’ve got a really proud dressing room there. We came across with intentions to make a difference and we’ve done that. I thought we played very well against a highly ranked team so I’m very proud.”