Soccer: Bertos proves his worth

Leo Bertos provided the corner for Rory Fallon’s goal. Photo / Getty Images

Leo Bertos didn't pose much of an attacking threat in the first leg of the World Cup qualifier against Bahrain. He did last night.

Bertos' forays down the right wing troubled the Bahrainis and, several times in the first half, his twisting runs, quick feet and ability to keep possession gave the All Whites some of their best moments.

And the crowd at the Cake Tin drew a collective, huge breath when Bertos fired a free kick at goal from just outside the left edge of the penalty box about 25 minutes into the match. He'd been brought down by a Bahraini defender left with no option but to throw an arm across Bertos - and the 27-year-old had only one thought: top right-hand corner.

It missed by a whisker and the collective rise in blood pressure in Wellington could have kept Lab Tests busy for months.

He did it again after about 40 minutes, stealing the ball off a Bahraini defender and chipping a curling kick towards Rory Fallon's dangerous head. It had goal spelled with a capital G but Bahraini keeper Sayed Jaffer somehow got a hand to it.

Didn't matter. A few minutes later, the All Whites won a corner and the same combination, well, combined. A Bertos curler, this time more to the front of the Fallon head, and the ball was in the net faster than Hone Harawira could get away to Paris.

There was much talk before the match about the need for Bertos to get forward more effectively than he did in the All Whites' rather exotic formation in the first leg. Even though NZ lined up in a 3-4-3, it often looked like a 5-2-2-1 with Bertos and Tony Lochhead ending up as defenders.

It wasn't best use of Bertos and many were worried he'd be pulled into too much unfamiliar defending territory again last night as Bahrain indulged their fondness for playing with width; their fullbacks ranging down the flanks.

In the first half, it was Bertos who did the ranging and the Bahrainis who did most of the defending. In the second half, however, with New Zealand taking the heart-stopping approach of trying to defend their lead rather than creating a second goal, Bertos became much more of a fullback. That didn't stop him raiding - and hitting one long-range thunderbolt goalwards where it was blocked by a defender.

It was appropriate he should be involved in the goal - and not just because he had been involved in nearly all New Zealand's best attacking moves. Last night he repaid a debt from 27 years ago. He was born on the very day New Zealand had their big World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia in late 1981. The All Whites had to win 5-0 in one of the most memorable games in All Whites' history, setting up the 1982 World Cup finals campaign. "My dad wanted to watch it, but mum was in labour and he missed the game - I don't think he was too happy with me," Bertos said in one recent interview.