Soccer: Self-belief the key, says Herbert

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert barks instructions during last night’s game. Photo / Getty Images

The self-belief of the All Whites going into last night's winner-take-all World Cup soccer qualifier pulled them through to victory, coach Ricki Herbert says.

With a 1-0 win over Bahrain in Wellington, New Zealand sealed their place in the World Cup finals for the first time in 27 years, sparking scenes of jubilation among the home players and the sellout 35,000 crowd.

" Tonight's about these boys. It's about a group who believed and have never stopped believing and their dream continues," Herbert said after the game.

"I've been very honest with everybody about the quality of this team, we've all worked hard, we all backed the system that we truly believed was good enough to win it and they've gone and done it."

In a relatively free-flowing game, it came down to two defining moments.

In the dying minutes of the first half, striker Rory Fallon put New Zealand ahead with a crucial goal after heading home a Leo Bertos corner.

Bahrain came back from the break with vigour, and were awarded a controversial penalty when Tony Lochhead brought down Abdulla Omar.

However, goalkeeper Mark Paston rose to the occasion and smothered Sayed Mohamed's shot.

"These boys are going to go to a World Cup and it'll be a dream," Herbert said.

"They'll be iconic, the public will embrace them, they'll be remembered as the side to achieve it again."

- NZPA