Soccer: All Whites much improved

Tony Lochhead came within centimetres of snatching a dramatic draw for a plucky All Whites side against Chile in Calera yesterday.

Pushing forward, left back Lochhead unleashed a stunning 20m left-foot strike eight minutes from time but could only hold his head in his hands as the ball whistled just outside the top corner of the Chilean goal.

The home side held on to take the match 1-0 with their 37th-minute goal and the series 2-0 after their 4-1 first-up victory two days earlier.

It was a much-improved effort from the New Zealand team who again had few real scoring chances against the well-organised South Americans.

"Obviously, we are happier with that. It was a good battling performance on a terrible pitch," said coach Ricki Herbert.

"We have to have the belief we can compete against teams like this. The players were not as nervous and as tentative as they were in the first game."

It was a brave effort from an All Whites team without up to a dozen of the players who will contend for places in the squad to meet Brazil in Geneva on June 4.