New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
Goals ~ NZ: Reid’90+3; Svk: Vittek’50
MATCH SUMMARY
# Man of the Match: Vladimir Weiss - If there were any doubts about whether Weiss Jnr deserved to be in his dad's starting line-up, they were banished by a scintillating display against the All Whites. Pacy and skilful, the winger was a constant threat and his positive, fearless approach to attacking was a breath of fresh air. Deserved to be on the winning side.
Note: Official MOM - Robert Vittek (Slovakia)
# New Zealand verdict: A gritty performance from the All Whites, Ricki Herbert's side defended bravely, with a number of last-ditch tackles going in, but showed plenty of naivety to let Slovakia get into dangerous positions. Lacked any real attacking threat - Shane Smeltz feeding on scraps - but Winston Reid's injury-time goal gave them a result that rewarded their resilience.
# Slovakia verdict: After a poor opening, Vladimir Weiss's side picked up the tempo and played some football that was often very easy on the eye. In Marek Hamsik and Weiss Jnr they had a pair of players that provided a dangerous attacking outlet, while Robert Vittek and Stanislav Sestak looked lively up front. Possesed much more quality than the All Whites and were a touch wasteful - their potential should have been converted into more goals and they were punished for not putting the game beyond doubt.
# Could do better: Mark Paston Yes, that Jabulani moves a lot in the air but it is no excuse for the New Zealand goalkeeper looking consistently shaky throughout the game. He regularly flapped at crosses and an embarrassing mis-kick in the first half could have ended in disaster.
# Stat attack: The first 19 goals of this World Cup have been scored by 19 different players, breaking the previous record of 18 (1978).
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