Ay caramba: Tough group reminiscent of 1982
It is one of the hardest pools in tournament history for a team outside the elite.
For the celebrated 1982 All Whites, yesterday’s Fifa World Cup draw would have brought back some wonderful memories.
Forty years on from their legendary journey, if New Zealand qualify for the World Cup, they will be placed in an impossibly difficult but beautiful group.
If the All Whites beat Costa Rica in a one-off playoff in June to gain their ticket to Doha, an adventure awaits, drawn with Spain, Germany and Japan in Group E.
It is one of the hardest pools in tournament history for a team outside the traditional elite.
Germany (world No 12) were the team everyone wanted to avoid, sitting outside the top eight seeds for the first time in decades.
They are the most consistent side in Cup history, with three finals and one semifinal in the last five events.
Die Mannschaft have been revitalised by a new generation of players such as Kai Havertz, and almost always peak perfectly for tournaments.
2010 champions Spain (No 7) have been rejuvenated by a cohort of Barcelona talents and will be among the favourites in Qatar, given their form at the 2021 European Championships and Nations League finals.
Japan (No 23) are also a formidable prospect — just ask Australia. The Socceroos have not beaten them in their last nine encounters, dating back to 2011.
The Samurai Blue have decent pedigree, reaching the knockout phase in 2002, 2010 and 2018, and were minutes away from eliminating Belgium in Russia.
So Danny Hay’s team (No 101) will be huge outsiders if they reach Qatar.
The scenario will bring back memories for coaches John Adshead, Kevin Fallon and their group.
In 1982, they faced an outstanding Scotland team — with Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan and John Wark at their peak — and the Soviet Union, with legends such as Rinat Dasayev, Sergei Baltacha and Oleg Blokhin.
To top it off, they lined up against Brazil, with Zico, Socrates, Falcao and Junior, a team still regarded by many as the greatest not to win the World Cup.
Hay’s fully professional squad are better equipped to take on the challenge, should it come to pass, and they can also take inspiration from Costa Rica’s efforts in 2014.
The Central American team were drawn with three heavyweights in Brazil, facing Uruguay (then world No 6), Italy (9) and England (13). But Los Ticos, then ranked 31st, stunned Uruguay 3-1 and Italy 1-0, then drew with England 0-0 to emerge as group winners.
The All Whites would have nothing to lose, with expectations bound to be lower than in 2010, given the group.
The scenario would also be a rare opportunity for New Zealand.
While Japan have been semiregular opposition over the decades (six games since 1981), the All Whites have faced Spain and Germany only once.
A brilliant Spanish team, featuring Fernando Torres, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas, destroyed New Zealand at the 2009 Confederations Cup 5-0, while Michael Ballack was among the scorers in Germany’s 2-0 win at the 1999 Fifa Confederations Cup in Mexico.
It would be a chance for the All Whites to be in the shop window and this crop will relish the challenge.