The All Whites wanted a low-profile hitout in some African backwater against Chile, but instead ended up in a crazy carnival that was broadcast to 80 million South Americans.

Coach Ricki Herbert was fuming when he arrived at the Kanyamazane Stadium, finding a dozen Chilean cameras, thousands of fans and the team food on the floor, but left happy despite a 0-2 loss.

"We got pretty much what we wanted,'' said Herbert after all players came through the game unscathed, "and we've got (Tim) Brownie on his way''.

"We are in a stronger position than we've ever been,'' said the coach, six days out from the World Cup opener against Slovakia.

The result was never a real issue in this game which featured three 30-minute thirds, but the All Whites got an invaluable taste of playing football in Africa.

The town of Ka-Nayamazane had rolled out the welcome mat in style, with a group of Zulu dancers greeting visitors and the local schools closing for the students to fill the 15,000-seater stadium to near capacity.

The chants of a few thousand Chilean fans melted in with the Zulu drums and thousands of the everpresent, deafening vuvuzela horns. The cacophony of noise was only interrupted by the bizarre "Deutschland, Deutschland'' chants from a few dozen lost German exchange students at the local Mpumalanga University.

In this wall of sound and colour, one pale-faced lad in a beige brigade outfit too looked slightly lost. Murray Tennent-Brown from Fielding was desperately searching for other Kiwis in the ground "but it seems I'm the only one here''.

Despite the home ground support for the Chileans and their superior ranking of 17, the number 78 team in the world started the stronger of the two teams.

Ben Sigmund started on the right flank of the three-man defence, with Winston Reid in the centre, replacing Ryan Nelsen who did not travel because of an ear infection, and Tommy Smith again on the left.

Sigmund played the full 90 minutes and looked like a man possessed, fighting for his last chance to depose on of the two young defenders next to him and reclaim his place.

Herbert acknowledged that the fast, tricky South Americans were not Sigmund's preferred opponents, but said his performance was good enough to remain in the equation for the starting 11 against Slovakia.

Ivan Vicelich, who has also found himself on the outer lately, teamed up in the centre of the midfield with Simon Elliott, while Jeremy Brockie started up front ahead of Shane Smeltz.

Brockie had two excellent chances to give New Zealand the lead in the first half an hour, but first headed a beautifully crossed ball from Leo Bertos over the goal and then only managed to hit the side-netting when the ball dropped invitingly after some aerial ping-pong in the box.

The winger played well but knows that a goal would not have hurt his selection chances.

"We had a few chance ourselves and I should have put one away. Or at least got one on target.''

Herbert said that he 10 of his starting team is just about confirmed, but hinted that he was not sure yet about the makeup of the front three.

"I want to see a bit more spark up front. I think we've created chances against arguably some of the best teams in the world. We got three, four chances today and that could be your roll of the dice in the World Cup. I want see things a bit sharper. We've got good personnel but we have to see how they are jelling.''

Herbert made a few changes for the second third, bringing on Jeremy Christie, Shane Smeltz, Michael McGlinchey and Chris Wood, but Kiwis barely gave away any chances, nor did they create any.

The speedy, technical Chileans looked threatening on the break and at times exposed New Zealand's lack of pace, but Mark Paston only had to make one save in the first hour. The ball did find the net twice but both goals were disallowed for off-side and a handball respectively.

Goalkeeper James Bannatyne and David Mulligan came on for what is likely to be their only game time in the entire campaign, but the Chilean substitutes were the ones to make the impact in the final third.

Only minutes after Tony Lochhead had cleared a ball off the line, Gonzalo Fierro got in behind the left winger, and beat Bannatyne inside the near post,

Four minutes later, the Chileans secured the win when Arturo Vidal's cross from the left found Estaban Paredes who got in front Vicelich to score 2-0.

Shane Smeltz had a chance to put the All Whites on the scoreboard but his header was cleared off the line, before Smith smashed the inviting rebound across the goal.

Herbert said the Chile game had given them a taste of what is to come and completed a near perfect build-up, "so we're ready. I can't wait for the opening game.''

Chile 2 (Fierro 66, Paredes 70) New Zealand 0.



New Zealand: Paston (60. Bannatyne), Sigmund, Reid (45. McGlinchey), Smith, Bertos (80. Barron), Elliott (30. Christie), Vicelich, Lochhead (80. Boyens), Killen (60. Mulligan), Fallon (30. Smeltz), Brockie (45. Wood).