Five famous victories

Ahead of the 66th trans-Tasman football international at Eden Park today, looks back at some of the All Whites’ best wins in the 100-year rivalry.

NEW ZEALAND 2 AUSTRALIA 1 (1981 at Sydney Cricket Ground)

Has to be tops for two reasons – Grant Turner’s glorious headed goal and for providing the platform for New Zealand’s 1982 World Cup finals launch. Australian scribes didn’t give the All Whites a hope, but the Socceroos were distinctly second best.

The All Whites grabbed the lead through Steve Wooddin’s lethal left foot after a sparkling move in which Keith ‘Buzzer’ Mackay featured twice.

But it was Turner’s late strike – still hailed today as the best header many longtime football pundits have seen – that left an indelible memory.

Turner, 12m out from goal, recalled: ‘‘I tried to head it over the crossbar to give us a bit of time, and it went in! The header was great, the result was great, but beating Australia was fantastic. That goal put us into the next round.’’

It’s history now that the All Whites overcame 15 qualifying games to make the World Cup finals for the first time.

NEW ZEALAND 4 AUSTRALIA 1 (1923, at Newcastle Showgrounds)

Almost 100 years later, this remains the biggest winning margin by a New Zealand team over Australia.

Before 15,000 fanatical Novacastrians in a city dubbed ‘Coalopolis’, New Zealand trailed 1-0 after local hero Bill Maunder’s firsthalf goal.

New Zealand captain George Campbell pinned his hopes on his men’s superior fitness in the 13th match of their tour.

The 34-year-old – who, like Wooddin in 1982, had a cultured left foot – led the charge with four second-half goals. The first was a 30m strike and his third a similarly spectacular 20m effort.

NZ 1 AUSTRALIA 0 (2002, at Mt Smart, Auckland)

The All Whites’ second consecutive Oceania Nations Cup victory over Australia proved the first was no fluke as they booked a berth at another Confederations Cup finals.

This one was all the more sweeter because it was at home.

Australia were without their biggest stars, prompting skipper Ryan Nelsen to declare that the All Whites deserved to be the favourites. Nelsen backed up his claim with the only goal of the final, meeting an Aaran Lines free kick at the back post.

NZ 1 AUSTRALIA 0 (1998, Lang Park, Brisbane)

Australia scored 23 goals and conceded just two in the lead-up to the final, edging past Fiji 1-0 in the semifinal at the 1998 Oceania Nations Cup.

Under pressure, Simon Colosimo made an error in the 24th minute. The quicksilver Vaughan Coveny latched onto the loose ball and squared a pass inside for NZ’s Mark Burton to lash a left-footed shot into the left-hand corner.

NZ 3 AUSTRALIA 1 (1922, Carlaw Park, Auckland)

Worth its rating because it clinched a series win for the side dubbed the ‘All Blacks’ in the first-ever internationals against Australia 100 years ago.

New Zealand’s first goal was a cracker, defender Jock Corbett, Ces Dacre and Len Barwell combining for Charlie Ballard to fire home.