Despite a fairly ugly game of football last night, coach Anthony Hudson is pleased with the way his side handled a potential banana skin game against the Solomon Islands in the Oceania Nations Cup.
The All Whites needed only a draw to guarantee progression through to the knockout stages of the eight team tournament, and faced a Solomon Islands side which seemed content to leave 10 men behind the ball at all times.
An 80th minute goal to defender Luke Adams broke the deadlock in a dull encounter and both sides seemed to play for the final whistle after that.
The result meant guaranteed progression for the Solomon Island due to a superior goal difference over Fiji.
Hudson though was full of praise for the way his team handled a tricky evening in Port Moresby.
"I thought today was a really professional performance," Hudson said. "When a team sits back and defends and tries to hit you on the break, it's going to be tight.
"These games, if you can keep a clean sheet and win 1-0, I'm really happy with that."
New Zealand will now face the second place team from the other group, which could be Tahiti, New Caledonia or the host Papua New Guinea on Wednesday.
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