Today in History

1981 All Whites beat Australia on road to Spain

The New Zealand soccer team's 2-0 victory in Sydney was a defining moment in an epic qualification campaign for the 1982 World Cup finals. This team became the first to make it to the finals of the sport's premier international tournament. New Zealand football fans had to wait 27 long years before seeing another New Zealand team reach the finals when Bahrain was defeated 1-0 in a two-legged qualification play-off in 2009. 

The ‘All Whites’, as the team became known, had begun their campaign with a 3-3 draw against Australia in Auckland on 25 April, followed by wins in Fiji and Indonesia and a draw in Taiwan. The rematch between the trans-Tasman rivals at the famous Sydney Cricket Ground would effectively decide which team progressed to the second qualifying round against the three Asian group winners. A first-half strike from Steve Wooddin and a thunderous long-range header from combative midfielder Grant Turner sealed a comprehensive win, and convinced many New Zealand soccer fans that we finally had a team capable of competing on the world stage.

The All Whites would have to play a further 10 qualifying games, culminating with a heart-stopping play-off victory over China in Singapore, to clinch qualification. At the World Cup finals in Spain in June 1982, the New Zealanders earned respect for their competitive displays, despite losing their three group matches against the might of Brazil, the Soviet Union and Scotland.

Image: the All Whites squad in April 1981