The All Whites kicked off their two-match Canadian Shield campaign on June 7 in stunning fashion, upsetting reigning African champions Ivory Coast 1-0 in front of 26,345 spectators at Toronto's BDO Field. The reigning African Cup of Nations holders began in lively fashion, swiftly establishing their flowing passing game and using it to good effect in the sixth minute, when Evann Guessand set off on a swashbuckling run out of defence and well into New Zealand's half of the field before threading a pass through for Nicolas Pepe to exploit. Finn Surman, as he was to do all game long in a fabulous individual display, snuffed out the danger posed by the winger, but "The Elephants", as Ivory Coast are known, wasted little time in threatening again, with Guessand - a real handful - weaving his way past a string of opponents before earning his team a corner, which the All Whites dealt with soundly. Max Crocombe dealt with his first shot in the tenth minute, a shot on the run from Pepe which was directed straight at the goalkeeper. Seconds later, the same player threatened again, this time with a volley which landed on the roof of the net after Pepe had been picked out by Lazare Amani's cross. Cote D'Ivoire, to give the team their French title, threatened again in the thirteenth minute, Emmanuel Latte Lath working a one-two with Guessand on the edge of the area before seeing his shot blocked by the legs of Crocombe, after the All Whites had conceded possession cheaply just outside their own penalty area. Having weathered the early storm, Darren Bazeley's charges slowly worked their way into the contest, and in the 22nd minute carved out their first opening. Callum McCowatt's raking ball forward picked out Eli Just, who flicked the ball past the approaching goalkeeper, Badra Sangare. Alas for the off-balance, he was unable to capitalise on his enterprise on this occasion. Back came "The Elephants", Guessand unleashing a 24th minute cross-shot which clipped the top of the crossbar. Soon after, Crocombe saved at the feet of Latte Lath after Luc Zogbe and Amani had combined on the right. Then, with the All Whites temporarily down to ten men due to McCowatt receiving treatment for an injury which would force his early withdrawal from the fray, Amani saw a goalbound shot blocked by Tyler Bindon in the 28th minute. The African champions were relentless in their pursuit of the opening goal, Surman forced to concede a corner in the 33rd minute which resulted in Pepe's deflected shot being tipped over the bar by Crocombe. Another marauding run from Guessand swiftly followed, culminating in a Pepe drive being blocked by the defiant Surman. Pepe was in again in the shadows of the half-time whistle, but was unable to pick out Zogbe as the fullback homed in on the far post. By this time, the deadlock had been broken - by the All Whites. The goal came very much against the

run of play, but no one whose allegiance lay with the Oceania champions was complaining too much in the 41st minute. Instead, they were rejoicing after Joe Bell and Marko Stamenic combined to dispossess Mory Gbane in the centre circle. Stamenic then threaded a peach of a through ball into the stride of Just, tearing through the inside right channel, from where he fired an angled shot across Sangare and in off the far post to open the scoring - 1-0 All Whites. It was a lead onto which they clung throughout the second spell, sometimes precariously, sometimes fortuitously, but mostly resolutely, with the imperious Surman leading his more experienced team-mates by example in this regard, so much so that Crocombe was little tested throughout the half. The first occasion his goal came under threat was in the 51st minute, Pepe cutting in off the right before working a one-two with Amani, only for New Zealand's custodian to save at the feet of the fleet-footed flyer. After Bill Tuiloma just failed to make contact with a Bell corner to the far post on the hour, Ivory Coast's next clear-cut threat on goal materialised twenty minutes from time. Simon Adingra did Callan Elliot a treat before delivering a cross which picked out Guessand, who evaded a challenge before letting fly. His shot beat Crocombe but not the covering figure of Surman, who cleared the goalbound effort off the line. Soon after, Ibrahim Sangare unleashed a twenty-yarder which careered narrowly over the crossbar. The longer this game went on, the more an unlikely All Whites win seemed likely. Ivory Coast probed and pressed, but got no change whatsoever out of their opponents, who repelled their threats at every turn. No matter what "The Elephants" tried, Surman, Bindon, Crocombe, Tuiloma, Elliot, captain Liberato Cacace and, late on, Michael Boxall, were an impenetrable defensive wall - nothing, but nothing was getting past them today. Theirs was a defensive effort par excellence. In the dying moments, however, Ivory Coast came within inches of equalising. The ball was worked wide to Guessand, whose clipped cross to the far post found Adingra arriving on cue. His downward header beat everyone but struck the base of the upright, allowing New Zealand to scramble clear and record a famous victory - a win over the reigning champions of Africa, arguably their best result since their unbeaten FIFA World Cup Finals exploits in 2010. Ivory Coast:     B. Sangare; Zogbe, Gbamin (Kossounou, 87), Kipre, Operi; Diomande (booked, 16 (Kessie, 66)), Latte Lath (I. Sangare, 53), Gbane (Haller, 66); Pepe (Boga, 77), Guessand, Amani (Adingra, 53) All Whites:     Crocombe; Tuiloma (Elliot, 62), Surman, Bindon, Cacace; Singh (Rufer, 62), Bell, Stamenic (Boxall, 82); Just (Garbett, 86), Barbarouses (Wood, 82), McCowatt (booked, 25 (Old, 29)) Referee:     Pierre-Luc Lauziere (Canada)