Peru's Christian Ramos, front, celebrates scoring his side's second goal against New Zealand. Photo / AP
Peru's Christian Ramos, front, celebrates scoring his side's second goal against New Zealand. Photo / AP
New Zealand's World Cup dream is over.
The All Whites have lost to Peru 2-0 in the second leg of the World Cup Intercontinental playoff.
It was a tough night for the visiting team, who struggled to retain possession for any decent periods, while facing a constant onslaught from the South American team.
After some stout defending - as they were starting to work their way into the game - the circumstances of the first Peruvian goal were disappointing. The All Whites were caught out by a swift counter attack, with Winston Reid forced to come across and cover Christian Cueva. Cueva make space well, then delivered a killer ball to Jefferson Farfan, who smashed it past Stefan Marinovic.
That moment changed the face of the game; until then the pressure had been building, and the 45,000 crowd were starting to get impatient and frustrated. The Peruvian were finding space at will, but couldn't create clear chances and some nerves were starting to show.
Peru had earlier hit the crossbar in the 3rd minute with a stinging long range, in what would have been a dream start for the home side.
Kosta Barbarouses had a penalty appeal in the first minute - which at first glance looked a decent shout, but otherwise the All Whites' best chances from set pieces, with Winston Reid putting a header over the crossbar just before halftime.