New Zealand’s All Whites capped off their preparations for their upcoming Oceania Nations Cup conquest in the Solomon Islands with a gritty 1-0 victory - their first win in two years - over Honduras in the second game of an international double-header at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on May 26. El Salvador, with whom Ricki Herbert’s charges drew 2-2 three days earlier, downed Moldova 2-0 in the earlier encounter, with their efforts contributing to the poor nature of the playing surface which troubled both Honduras and New Zealand throughout their clash. To be frank, it was more akin to a cotton field than the world-famous Cotton Bowl Stadium, and really wasn’t good enough for the highest levels of club football, never mind international action. The first half was sprinkled with very few highlights, with the only incident of note in the first 25 minutes being a blow to Ian Hogg’s ribs suffered in an aerial duel with Oscar Garcia, an injury which brought an early end to the international newcomer’s second appearance on the world stage. The game’s first opening materialised in the 26th minute, with Alfredo Mejia winning the ball more by foul means than fair before playing it wide to Emilio Izaguirre. His teasing cross targeted David Suazo and Garcia as both made runs towards the far post, but Jeremy Brockie, retreating in between them, averted the danger. A Garcia twenty-five yarder cleared Mark Paston’s crossbar soon after, while Suazo’s awful 32nd minute close-range finish undid all the good work which led up to it, with the striker a pivotal figure in an exchange of passes which also involved Mauricio Sabillon and a one-two with Garcia. Immediately prior to this chance, the All Whites enjoyed their first noteworthy sight of Honduras’ goal thanks to Hogg’s replacement, Leo Bertos. His wing-play secured space for a teasing cross which targeted the head of Shane Smeltz, but Rommel Murillo stepped in to nullify the threat. Three minutes before half-time, Sabillon unleashed a ferocious twenty-five yard shot on the turn which rattled the stanchion by Paston’s left-hand post. But the defender and his colleagues were found wanting on the stroke of half-time as New Zealand opened the scoring. Aaron Clapham - a rare start in white for him - sprayed a peach of a pass wide to Brockie on the left-hand touchline. After controlling the ball with one touch, he whipped in a laser-guided cross onto the head of Smeltz, who, in between defenders and six yards out from goal, doesn’t miss from there, and didn’t on this occasion - 1-0. And it should have been 2-0 six minutes into the second spell. Costa Barbarouses sent half-time substitute Chris Wood rampaging down the left, where he took on and got the better of Johnny Leveron before spotting Clapham making a well-timed run from deep to the edge of the penalty area. The ball arrived in the midfielder’s stride, but he mistimed his volley, and watched in despair as the bouncing ball evaded the clutches of diving Honduran goalkeeper, Noel Valladares, and carried on past the post.

Honduras looked to get back into the game initially via Edder Delgado’s quickly taken free-kick from just outside the penalty area in the 56th minute. It skidded narrowly past Paston’s left-hand post, and prompted an All Whites retort three minutes later sparked by substitute Michael Boxall’s fine ball forward for Wood, who held the ball up well before setting up Brockie, whose twenty yard drive careered past the far post. New Zealand survived a very close call in the 61st minute, when Garcia and substitute Roger Espinoza combined for another replacement, Allan Lalin, inside the penalty area. His mistimed shot completely deceived Paston but struck the near post, affording the All Whites the chance to scramble clear. They did, and quickly swept downfield, earning a free-kick just outside Honduras’ penalty area sixty seconds later. Wood took it, a wickedly struck curling effort which swerved a foot past the far post - his was an impressive forty-five minute display. The substitute was causing chaos again two minutes later, running the Hondurans ragged as he raced towards goal before setting up Barbarouses for a terrific chance with just Valladares to beat. Leveron stepped in to deny the striker doubling New Zealand’s lead with twenty-five minutes still to play. Instead, they fought a rearguard action for the balance of the match, with captain Tommy Smith, Ivan Vicelich and Boxall pivotal figures in frustrating the Hondurans at every turn, so much so that, for all their pressure, the Central American team enjoyed just one clear sighting of Paston’s goal in the time which remained. That sighting came in the 77th minute, the culmination of concerted build-up play which saw Izaguirre get in behind the All Whites’ defence on the Honduran left flank and send a searching cross beyond the far post. Substitute Cameron Howieson’s headed clearance only succeeded in finding its way to Wilmer Crisanto, who himself had entered the fray sixty seconds previously. With his first touch, he sent an unerring volley through the crowded goalmouth, only to groan with despair as the ball struck the far post and ricocheted to safety. The All Whites withstood everything else that Honduras could muster, and come the final whistle, were relieved to have emerged with a 1-0 victory, their first triumph since Serbia succumbed by the same scoreline - and to the same scorer - in Klagenfurt almost exactly two years ago. They were also able to hand debuts to substitutes Tim Payne and Adam McGeorge in the later stages of the game, although the injuries to Hogg and Bertos - a hamstring twinge - meant it wasn’t quite All White on the night in Dallas. Honduras: Valladares; Murillo, Sabillon (Berrios, 86), Leveron, J. Garcia (Bernandez, 60); O. Garcia, Delgado, Mejia (Espinoza, 60), Izaguirre; Suazo (Lalin, 48), Costly (booked, 49) (Crisanto, 76) New Zealand: Paston; Sigmund (Boxall, 46), Vicelich, Smith; Brockie, McGlinchey, Clapham, Hogg (Bertos, 19 (Payne, 75)); Rojas (Howieson, 64), Smeltz (booked, 35) (Wood, 46), Barbarouses (McGeorge, 88)