Emotional exit for NZ

POLOKWANE, South Africa (AP):

New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert has every reason to be proud of his team, despite their first-round elimination at the World Cup.

The All Whites remained unbeaten in three games and finished above defending champions Italy, but still saw their second visit to the World Cup come to an early end after a 0-0 draw with Paraguay yesterday.

"There is no good way to leave the World Cup," before the final, Herbert said. "But leaving together with Italy and (2006 finalists) France can't be too bad."

Italy were also eliminated after losing to Slovakia 3-2 and finishing last in Group F.

The French went out after losses to Mexico and South Africa in Group A.

New Zealand players left the pitch at Peter Mokaba Stadium with their heads up high.

Amazing

Disappointed? Yes. But also proud after finally making their mark in international football and earning their first World Cup points.

"It's quite emotional for us," said Herbert, who has guided the team since 2005 and was a member of the only other New Zealand squad to play at the World Cup. "It was our second time at the World Cup and to completely reverse what we've done before is quite amazing. The future looks bright for the team."

Herbert was a defender on the New Zealand squad which lost three times and was outscored 12-2 by Scotland, Soviet Union and Brazil at the 1982 World Cup.

Its main mission in South Africa was to put football back in the spotlight in New Zealand, where rugby is the national sport.

"We've created something huge," Herbert said. "The players stayed on the pitch today, absolutely thankful for all the support. So many people came out here and cheered for them, and millions have watched back home."

New Zealand started the competition ranked 78th, though Herbert said that "we are now a good shot to finish top-24 in the world."

The physically strong All Whites are known for their straightforward approach to the game.

Swiss expect easy win

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP):

After beating Spain in their World Cup opener, Switzerland wouldn't have thought their tournament would be hanging in the balance going into their final Group H match today against Honduras.

The Swiss can still win the group - or finish at the bottom. But the path at least is clear: beat Honduras by two goals at Free State Stadium and the Swiss are through to the round of 16.

Chile, who plays Spain in a simultaneous game, lead Group H with six points. Switzerland are level with Spain on three points, although the Spanish have a better goal difference. Honduras are last with zero points.

Switzerland upset European champions Spain 1-0 in their opener in Durban before going down to 10 men and losing to Chile 1-0 in Port Elizabeth. In both matches, the team relied on a solid defence and opportunistic attack.

Those tactics look set to change against Honduras in a game that coach Otto Hitzfeld said "everybody expects Switzerland to win easily".

"Against Spain we were the underdogs and concentrated on defending and hoping for a successful counter-attack," Hitzfeld said. "Against Chile, we were forced to defend after our player (Valon) Behrami had been sent off.

"Against Honduras we must win with a two-goal difference to make sure we reach the second stage of the World Cup, and I am very positive that we are going to do it."

Defensive play

Switzerland, however, have only scored three goals in their last seven matches, raising questions as to whether the team has the power up front to score twice against Honduras.

Alex Frei, who was sidelined against Spain with an injured right ankle but played 42 minutes against Chile and is fit to play today, brushed aside such concerns.

"Our defensive play is very strong, but we can score lots of goals," the Switzerland striker said. "We've got many players, very skilled players as far as set pieces are concerned, but also from normal play.

"Who is going to score a goal - that I don't know. We just have to make sure that we do score, and we feel comfortable about that."

Honduras have sputtered offensively, failing to create many solid scoring opportunities, and they're unlikely to get many chances against a Swiss team that had set a World Cup record of 559 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal before Chile's winner.