One of the greatest moments in New Zealand sports history should never have happened.
On November 14, 2009, the All Whites beat Bahrain 1-0 at Wellington's Westpac Stadium, qualifying for the Football World Cup for the first time in 27 years.
Scenes of 37,000 Kiwis decked out in white, deliriously celebrating a monumental and historic moment, will live on for many decades to come.
Nearly 11 years later, one of the stars in a white shirt that night - Ivan Vicelich - admits New Zealand were lucky to arrive in Wellington with a realistic chance of progressing to South Africa in 2010.
A month earlier, the All Whites somehow held Bahrain to a goalless draw in Manama in the opening leg of the intercontinental qualifying playoff.
Wave after wave of attack was repelled by a gutsy New Zealand defence, backed up by an outstanding display from goalkeeper Mark Paston - and a little bit of luck from the post.
Speaking on Newshub's 'Stories from the Locker Room' podcast, 'The Godfather' of New Zealand football reflects on an "unbelievable" month of his footballing career, made even more unlikely, given how much they were dominated away from home.
"The reality is we should have lost two or three-nil," Vicelich says. "I remember it being extremely hot and the stadium was jam-packed.
"It was such a foreign environment for all the players, and we knew it would be a very tough game and we just wanted to do our best.
"We played out of our skins defensively and Mark [Paston] had a fantastic game. Look, we obviously came away with a tremendous result heading back to New Zealand, but the reality is we should have come home with a loss after that game."
The actual reality would be very different and what followed would be one of the most exhilarating sports events in New Zealand history.
From Paston's saved penalty to coach Ricky Herbert dropping an f-bomb on national television moments after the final whistle... for a few short hours, 'soccer' was the most important sport in Kiwis' lives.
"I've played a lot of games, but that night was just incredible," says Vicelich. "The atmosphere was something I've never experienced in my career.
"For the fans to have bought in like that, and their chanting and singing and wearing the All Whites shirt - never seen anything like that.
"You could have fit another 20,000 people in that night - you talk to people now about that and everyone remembers where they were that night.
"To be part of that is absolutely the highlight of my career."
A first-half Ryan Fallon goal was enough to secure the All Whites a 1-0 victory and a return to football's grandest stage for the first time since 1982.
Vicelich reveals he was overcome with emotion and recalls being in a bit of a daze for several minutes after the final whistle, euphoric at achieving his World Cup dream.
"Football is the global game and every kid who loves football dreams of going to the World Cup.
"I remember grabbing 'Nelly' [Ryan Nelson] and the screaming started.
"Realising that dream had come true, with a group of guys that had grown together for many years - yeah, it's a story that is hard to believe, but very, very special."
Vicelich and New Zealand will never forget that special moment.
