Chris Rattue: Slovenia gave us a taste of how dives could ruin the Cup

Yet another soccer star chose to deliver a cheap shot in Maribor. Yes, we're talking about taking a dive, and this time the offender profited.

Slovenia's 3-1 win put a not totally unexpected cloud over the All Whites' World Cup campaign.

Ryan Nelsen's troops could take hammerings in South Africa if midfield gaps aren't plugged and more ruthlessness can't be found in front of goal.

Forget the score and the performances for a minute, though, and think of that soccer scourge - the deliberate dive to win a penalty or free kick or even get a card waved at an opponent.

Fifa, and others, forever threaten to rid the game of this dreadful tactic. Yet it just won't go away. Heaven knows what satisfaction these falling heroes get from their con - the answer is obvious, I suppose, but can they feel good about the deceptions.

Some of the best players in the world are masters - even from countries who have given so much of the good stuff to soccer.

I'm thinking here of that little Dutchman Arjen Robben, who should contemplate a circus job getting fired out of a cannon.

One incident in the friendly on Saturday was enough to act as a reminder that the World Cup might runneth over with people who fall over.

Milivoje Novakovic was this particular cheat's name and he went down like a housing estate on dynamite, even though Winston Reid was a couple of suburbs away by the time Novakovic willingly ate his own dust. It wasn't the smartest of attempted tackles from Reid, the young All White defender, who flung out a foot near his penalty box.

He didn't make contact, though, yet Novakovic tumbled away.

Then the Slovenian swindler nailed the goal, beating the All Whites' wall and Mark Paston for a second time, and celebrated like he was someone to admire. What a clown.

If only this World Cup could be about the beautiful game trying to be beautiful, but what are the odds?

We can still live in hope for now.

But having watched Novakovic, I'm suddenly filled with dread. Memories of trash talk and a head butt from 2006 suddenly fill the air.

New Zealand continue to create chances via the aerial route, but Slovenia were way too good for our mob, carving them up through the midfield with a clever, short passing game.

The All Whites binned their grand plans and went into damage-limitation mode.

Coach Ricki Herbert had promised a flood of substitutions to reduce the injury risk to his best players, but the reserves didn't arrive.

It can only be assumed that he has sorted out his starting XI, but doesn't want to risk heads dropping yet.

Slovenia played very well, and meant business. They got some help - Paston gifted Slovenia their third.

At the other end, Chris Wood blew chances, although one involved a magnificent save from Samir Handanovic who, having already flung himself left, threw up an arm to touch the ball over the cross bar. This was an honourable dive.

Wood, who many thought would rise to the call of the World Cup, has instead played himself out of the starters.

Tommy Smith and Shane Smeltz were the obvious standouts, and Reid - if a little awkward at times - showed he can glide beautifully forward.

Rory Fallon slammed home New Zealand's goal, and slammed his own team's performance.

"Massively disappointed," is how he put it.

And he was right.

He described the free kick decisions against New Zealand, which Novakovic converted brilliantly, as a "bit diabolical".

Close. What Novakovic did was completely diabolical.