Winston Reid’s dream of playing at a second FIFA World Cup finals was shattered as New Zealand fell to a OFC/CONMEBOL Play-Off second leg defeat in Peru.
The All Whites’ hopes were ended as Jefferson Farfan and Christian Ramos netted a goal in each half at the Estadio Nacional in Lima overnight on Wednesday, giving the South Americans a 2-0 aggregate victory.
Reid captained his country in the tie and produced a typically strong defensive performance, while he also went closest to scoring for former West Ham youngster Anthony Hudson’s men, only for his header to flash over the crossbar just before half-time with New Zealand trailing 1-0.
Defeat meant New Zealand missed out on their third World Cup finals appearance and first since Reid burst onto the scene in South Africa in 2010.
The OFC Nations Cup champions will now concentrate their efforts on qualifying for Qatar in 2022.
Reid will return to England on Friday morning and manager David Moyes will assess the centre-back’s fitness ahead of Sunday’s Premier League fixture at Watford.