New Zealand reached the World Cup for the first time since 1982, beating Bahrain 1-0 Saturday night behind Rory Fallon�s goal in the 44th minute.
The teams had played a 0-0 tie at Manama on Oct. 10 in the first leg of the home-and-home, total-goals playoff between the Oceania champion and the fifth-place team in Asian qualifying.
New Zealand went 0-3 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, getting outscored 12-2 by Scotland, the Soviet Union and Brazil.
Fallon, who played for an England youth national team, headed Leo Bertos� corner kick past goalkeeper Sayed Jafaar, who had saved his header moments earlier.
�I was just praying that wasn�t my last chance,� Fallon said. �Then Leon put in a great ball, and with those I don�t miss.�
Bahrain, which has never appeared in the World Cup, lost a playoff to Trinidad and Tobago four years ago. It could have tied the aggregate score in the 50th minute�and moved ahead on away goals�but Sayed Adnan took a weak penalty kick that easily was saved by goalkeeper Mark Paston, who fell on the ball. It came after Tony Lochhead brought down Abdulla Omar in the penalty area
�I basically just guessed which way he�d go, and the ball ended up in my hands,� Paston said. �It�s a bit surreal really.�
New Zealand qualified in gale force winds and bitter cold before a crowd of 35,000, the largest ever for a soccer match in the nation. Kiwis coach Ricki Herbert was a defender on New Zealand�s 1982 World Cup team.
�I�m speechless,� Herbert said. �This group of players has given everything to achieve this dream, everything over the last four years. It�s incredible. We�re back. We�re there. South Africa.�
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