Like four years ago, Bahrain did not come agonisingly close this time around. They missed the plane by 'no show'.

The team on view was hardly recognisable, the defenders repeatedly fumbled, the midfielders made basic errors and the forwards seemed to have left their shooting boots back home at the National Stadium in Riffa which is about 15,000km from here and around 10 hours behind.

And that attempt from the penalty spot was a national shame.

Thus Bahrain's ambitious bid to become a beacon for tiny nations vying for global glory ended on a gloomy note on a cold and bone-chilling wintry night at the packed Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Bahrain relied too much on their patented tactics of counterattack, spontaneity and the pace of Jaycee John and Abdulla Fatadi at the top of the pyramid. It worked initially, particularly in the first 10 minutes when Bahrain created a lot of space upfront and threatened to score in any second.

It almost seemed as if Bahrain wanted to finish the match in the first 15 minutes and get on their special plane and fly back home. The opening itself was clearly flawed and the Kiwis made the most of it to slowly but firmly come back and move into command.

The hosts soaked in the early pressure in front of their passionate fans all dressed in white and withstood the early offensive as well as a yellow card to Ben Sigmund in just the third minute of the match.

Bahrain by contrast could not sustain the early pace and as their attacks became more sporadic, the Kiwis began to flex their muscles.

Skipper Ryan Nelsen led the way making the first serious attempt to score with a header off a Shane Smeltz pass which ended up at the roof of the Bahrain net.

Then Chris Killen almost got New Zealand ahead as he rattled the crossbar with a solid shot from 12 metres following another Leo Bertos free kick. The Kiwis were clearly moving into top gear and Bahrain seemed to be helping them along.

Bahrain's best chance in this period came from John who made a characteristic attempt against the flow of play with a solid shot from outside the penalty area which was well saved by the Kiwi goalkeeper Mark Paston.

Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Jaffar at the other end also came up with a heroic effort when he thwarted Fallon's header of a Bertos' chip from the right with a one-hand reflection action save.

But with only seconds to go for half-time, Fallon broke the deadlock and with it the hearts of thousands of Bahraini fans back home. This time the tall former English youth international headed in a cross from the hardworking Bartos. That was not the defining or even the decisive moment of the match. It came seven minutes into the second-half when Abdulla Fatadi sent Abdulla Omar through with a precise pass. Omar was just inside the penalty area when he was brought down by Tony Lochhead.

The Uruguay referee Jorge rightly pointing to the dreaded spot as the Bahrainis in the stand as well on the field began celebrating. It was as if Bahrain had already scored the all-important away goal and were on a plane to the World Cup.

It proved to be a precursor for a false dawn. The Bahraini players wasted so much precious energy that by the time Syed Mohammed Adnan stepped in to take the penalty he looked visibly nervous. His shot lacked everything - power, precision and any element of surprise - and the Kiwi goalkeeper Paston saved it easily diving to his right.

It was such a pathetic attempt that a Kiwi journalist quipped "my grandmother would have done a better job of it'.

Once the golden opportunity was missed, the Bahraini players' shoulders seemed to drop noticeably and their body language changed drastically. From there on it was only a matter of time as all their half attempts were well-thwarted by a solid defence and an even more solid goalkeeper Paston.

Soon Australia tightened the grip and began to dominate both sides of the field while Bahrain seemed to be in a pistol duel with only blanks.

New Zealand could have easily doubled or even tripled the score but it did not really matter in the end as they seemed to enjoy toying with the Bahrain defence more rather than breach it.

After all, the Kiwis slogan was 'One shot away from glory' and they had that shot past the Bahraini defence and the goalkeeper even before half-time.

Macala was not even present at the post match press conference leaving the floor clear for his counterpart who made the most of it and hailed the historic feat of the Kiwis who will be appearing in a World Cup finals after 28 years.

The Bahrain coach left with the team immediately after the match and was unavailable for comments.

"It was just so special for me to see the emotions of the players ... wow ... unbelievable," said Herbert who was part of the 1982 World Cup team.

"Tonight is about these boys who never stopped believing. We've all worked hard, we all backed the system and believed we could win.

"It's different for me sitting there on the bench screaming from the other side of the white line."

Speaking of the important moments of the game, the 48-year-old said that Rory Fallon's headed goal just before halftime was a real boost as was the penalty save from goalkeeper Mark Paston just after the interval.

Interestingly, Rory's father Kevin was an assistant coach during the 1982 campaign and yesterday's match was the younger Fallon's third and the precious goal - his second. "We always knew they were going to be a difficult side. But we stepped up at both ends and didn't deviate from our plans," Herbert said.

This final playoff was the biggest sporting event held in New Zealand and the rewards were worth the efforts. The victory earned New Zealand a $10m windfall from Fifa's World Cup kitty, money which Herbert believes will be wisely spent.

"The guys in the present team will go to the World Cup and it will be lifelong memories for them. But we can't forget the young kids that are left here," said Herbert referring to a similar opportunity missed after the Kiwis had qualified for the 1982 World Cup held in Spain.

Revealing another closely kept secret, Herbert said that he barely saw his team on the day of reckoning.

"I didn't go to breakfast, I didn't go to lunch but I liked what I saw this afternoon. I'm just so proud of them."

The twin heroes of the day - goalscorer Fallon and goalsaver Paston - were equally proud at the end of the day.

"I was just praying that wasn't my last chance," Fallon said. "Then Leon (Barots) put in a great ball and with those I don't miss."

Paston's story is even simple.

"I basically just guessed which way he'd go and the ball ended up in my hands," Paston said of the penalty. "It's a bit surreal really.

It indeed was.

Riding Razor Back Indigo, the Royal Endurance Team put up a spirited show in the fourth and last stage of the race, crossing the finish line first in a total ride time of three hours, 43 minutes and 48 seconds with an average speed of 24.13km per hour.

Behind him was runner-up Ahmed Al Gaoud, also of the Royal Endurance Team, in 4:05:27 riding TBO Heredero, followed by teammate Ahmed Samad on Drumlin Cruiser in 4:05:47.

Another race over 60km took place which was dominated by Al Khaldiya Stable who took all three places on the podium.

Hari Singh steered Blythswood Akabar to finish the race on top with a total ride time of three hours, 10 minutes and 21 seconds, and with an average speed of 18.91km per hour.

He was followed by Prem Singh (3:10:24) in second position, just three seconds ahead of Mohammed Nasser in 3:10:27 who came third.

Salim Mohammed, also of Al Khaldiya team, was fourth in 3:10:30, while Abdulrahman Al Zaeed (3:10:33) followed in fifth place and Isa Abdulrasool (3:22:28) of Abu Younis Stable came sixth, ahead of seventh-placed Ebrahim Bubshait (3:26:02).

Al Asayel Stable rider Abdulla Al Asfoor (3:26:10) claimed eighth place, followed by Hari Singh (3:35:56) of Al Talia Stable in ninth spot. Sang Singh Bhati (3:36:05), also of Al Talia Stable, rounded off the top 10.

Shaikh Nasser and Singh were congratulated by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa who witnessed both races.

Commenting on his participation, Shaikh Nasser said the race was exciting right from the start and that everyone enjoyed the high level of competition throughout the stages of each event.

Shaikh Nasser, the Bahrain Olympic Committee president, expressed delight at the large number of riders who took part in the races. He added that more entrants were expected to be seen in action in future competitions.

The match, which will be held at the National Stadium in Riffa, is of utmost importance to national soccer coach Milan Macala, who hopes to secure qualification for the continental competition as quickly as possible.

In qualifying for the 2007 Asian Cup, Bahrain needed to go the distance to secure their berth, battling to a win in their final qualifier against Kuwait but only by the narrowest of margins.

Both Bahrain and Yemen are in group 'A' of qualification for the 2011 tournament. Japan and Hong Kong are the other teams. The Bahrainis are currently second in the group with a full six points from their first two matches, which include a 3-1 victory away against Hong Kong and a famous 1-0 win over Japan at home. The Japanese are top, also with six points but with a better goal-difference, having played one game more.

Wednesday's clash with Yemen was actually rescheduled by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for January 27 next year, so as to give the Bahrainis a breather following their do-or-die World Cup clash yesterday against the Kiwis.

But Macala had asked to have it returned to its original date, which is this Wednesday, so he will have a complete national squad at his disposal as they are already together for the New Zealand match.

Bahrain need only to finish among the top two in their group to secure a berth in the 2011 Asian Cup finals, which will take place in Doha.

Bahrain's second group game against Yemen was originally set for yesterday in Yemeni capital Sana'a, but that game was re-set by the AFC for January 20 to avoid the clash with the World Cup playoff.

Prior to that game, Bahrain host Hong Kong on January 6.

Their last qualifier will be against Japan in Tokyo on March 3.

A total of 19 teams divided into five groups are taking part in the qualifying competition for the Asian Cup.

Each group has four teams, with exception to group 'C', which comprises only Uzbekistan, Malaysia and the UAE.

Australia presently top group 'B', the Uzbeks group 'C', Syria lead group 'D' and Iran top group 'E'.

* "I was excited and confident that Bahrain will make it through to South Africa, but after watching the team miss all those chances again like they did in the first leg, I had some fear that New Zealand were going to surprise us, and they did. The Bahrain team received all support they need but failed to live up to their billings." - Multi-titled Muharraq Club coach Salman Sharida.

* "Some players were nervous out there, maybe the pressure got to their heads. I was surprised that Sayed Mohammed Adnan did not convert the penalty; he is always a sure-shot. But that is how it goes in football; not always the best teams come out top. We missed our chance. It would have been fantastic to see Bahrain in the World Cup." - Bahrain beach soccer head coach Gustavo Zloccowick.

* "It was a big shock for me and to all Bahrain. I never thought the same scenario of our match against Trinidad and Tobago four years ago will be repeated. Even the goal that we conceded today was very much similar to the one against Trinidad. We were hoping that the team would have learnt from that match, but the players in general were not in their form and again showed disarray in the crucial stages of the game." - Al Shabab Club coach Jassim Mohammed.

* "We didn't play the best we could. All the players were not in form. Everybody is disappointed and saddened by this result, but nothing can be done about it now - the game has been played. Inshallah, we will forget this in the coming days. And maybe in the future, we can learn from this and fight again for a World Cup spot." - Bahrain national team striker Ala'a Hubail

* "That was an awful shot by Sayed Mohammed Adnan for the penalty. I think he was under a lot of pressure because he is also fighting to win the 2009 Asian Player of the Year award. I also think Milan Macala should have produced two strikers from the beginning instead of one to pile more pressure on New Zealand." - Al Najma Club coach Abdulaziz Amin.

* "This was the opportunity of a lifetime and we just let it go. We absolutely dominated the game and created endless chances, but what was most important was the final touch, which we missed. Now we have to wait for another four years hoping that a stronger team will fulfil our dream of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time." - Busaiteen Club coach Khalifa Al Zayani

* "Surely, many people in Bahrain including myself are feeling bad now. We had a great chance to qualify, but we drew here and then lost there. I think the players played well today but were just unlucky. We didn't have too many scoring chances and we lost a penalty. Normally, Sayed Mohammed Adnan makes that. But the bounce of the ball is different every game. That is the beauty of football; sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and it so happened that today what we lost was something very big and important to us all. Inshallah, we will be back fighting for the World Cup after four years. - Ex-Bahrain national team player Rashed Al Doseri, who is now retired from the international game.

- Compiled by RAMI HULAYYEL and PATRICK SALOMON

It was Mahboob's second medal of the championships, and the Bahraini national team's second gold and fourth medal overall. The 27-year-old long-distance specialist had earlier won the 5,000m silver medal on the competition's opening day.

Mahboob claimed the 10,000m title with a last-gasp dash in the race. He crossed the line ahead of Qatari pair Nicholas Kemboi and Ahmad Abdullah. Mahboob had a winning time of 28 minutes and 23.70 seconds.

"I felt very good today," Mahboob was quoted as saying. "But the cold weather made it a tougher event than it usually is."

Mahboob, who is also the 10,000m Asian Games champion, improved on the bronze medal he won in the same distance during the 2007 Asian championships.

Kemboi took the silver in 28:25.22. He established an early lead with Abdullah, but was overtaken by Mahboob at the last lap. Abdullah finished in 28:28.38 for the bronze.

Meanwhile, Bahrain's Tejitu Daba Chalchissa missed out on a medal in the women's 10,000m final where she finished fourth. Compatriot Gladys Cherotich Kibiwot could not finish the race.

Tejitu had already won a silver medal in the women's 5,000m earlier in the championships, although she could not follow Mahboob's lead in adding to it yesterday. The 18-year-old held first place with 2,000m remaining in the race, but in the end she could not maintain her stride as Xue Bai of China managed to grab the initiative en route to claiming the gold medal.

Xue won in 34:11.14, while Kavita Raut of India took silver in 34:17.21. Jia Li Wang, also of China, claimed the bronze in 34:22.64. She was just ahead of Tejitu who had a finishing mark of 34:26.07.

Following yesterday's results, Bahrain ended the championships fourth overall on the medal standings behind champions China, runners-up Japan and Iran. Mahboob's gold added to the Asian title countryman Tareq Mubarak Taher won in the men's 3,000m steeplechase on Thursday.

Bahrain's squad in Guangzhou was headed by Bahrain Athletics Association president Shaikh Talal bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, who attended yesterday's events.

With the win, the defending champions maintained their undefeated record after five games. They moved to solo first place on the league standings.

Former National Basketball Association first round pick Johnny Antonio Taylor led Ahli. They also had key contributions from court general Hussain Shaker, guards Jassim Mohammed and Maytham Jameel, bruiser Mohammed Qurban and do-it-all wing Sayed Hashim.

League action continues tonight with another two games on schedule. At 6pm, Isa Town and Nuwaidrat clash in a battle between two struggling clubs who have only one win apiece from their first four ties.

In the late game at 7.45pm, Muharraq will be looking to emulate Ahli's fine start when they play lowly Bahrain Club, who have began yet another season with a string of losses. Muharraq are currently second on the table with four wins from as many games.

Tomorrow, Manama face off with Al Najma and Al Hala take on Al Ettihad.

The 13-time league champions ruled the match from the start, taking a 17-8 lead at half-time, then maintained their momentum for a 12-goal win.

It was the sixth win in seven games for Al Ahli who now share Al Shabab the lead with 19 points each but are ahead on goal difference.

Samaheej, who suffered their sixth defeat, remained second from bottom with eight points from seven matches, one ahead of Al Ettehad who are presently at the bottom of the table.

In another match, Tubli came from a 10-12 half-time deficit to clinch their third win in the competition, edging out Um Al Hassam 27-26.

Tubli jumped to sixth with 14 points while Um Al Hassam stayed in ninth position, sharing the same record of Bahrain Club with nine points each.

THE fourth and final event of this year's 'Youth All-Star Basketball Clinic' series will be held on December 4 and 5 at the indoor gym of Muharraq Club.

The sessions will take place between 8am and 1pm on both days.

The clinic is being facilitated by top local basketball players and coaches, headed by seasoned Arab-American player-turned-coach Zaied Alobaidi.

The event will cover the fundamental skills of the sport. It will teach young athletes the benefits of team work, discipline and a healthy lifestyle.

The clinic is open to children of all nationalities, aged seven to 18, both boys and girls. For more information, call Alobaidi on 36864470.

A superbly-taken header by Villarreal striker Nilmar settled a contest the five-times world champions were always in control of and might easily have won by a bigger margin.

A penalty miss by Luis Fabiano ensured England, captained for the first time by Wayne Rooney, remained in contention until the end but, overall, the evening served to underline the importance of the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard - all of whom were absent injured - being fit for next year's finals.

Brazil never demonstrated the kind of gear changes that will be required to overcome the likes of Spain in South Africa next year.

But a cautious England never required them too and there was genuine quality in the angled through ball from Galatasaray midfielder Elano that enabled Nilmar to head the winner two minutes into the second half.

Twelve days after becoming a father for the first time, Rooney took his bow as England captain after John Terry became the ninth member of Fabio Capello's first-choice line-up to be ruled out by injury.

Joleon Lescott came in for the regular skipper while Capello was also forced into a last-minute adjustment in midfield, where an ankle injury to Michael Carrick ensured Jermaine Jenas started his first international in over a year.

Rooney, winning his 57th cap at the age of 24, was supported in attack by Darren Bent, but England's lack of adventure ensured the Sunderland striker had little chance to press his own World Cup case and he made way for Jermain Defoe before an hour had elapsed.

Given that England had won just three of their 22 previous encounters with Brazil, a hint of nerves among the back-up players on display was to be expected.

Matthew Upson, in particular, looked to be affected by stage fright as he left England exposed twice in quick succession by losing possession deep in England's half.

A wayward shot by Felipe Melo and Nilmar's failure to produce a telling cross ensured the slips were not exploited and it was not until the 23rd minute that the Brazilians had a clear sight of goal.

Kaka's clever pass inside Wes Brown played Michel Bastos into the box and the leftback's drive forced Foster into a full-length dive as it skidded beyond the far post.

England responded immediately with a half-chance of their own, Bent heading James Milner's cross from the left over the bar.

Foster, who had looked tentative as he fluffed an early clearance, appeared more composed as he gathered strikes from Felipe Melo and Kaka.

The stifling effect of Brazil's deployment of two midfielders charged with protecting their back four was limiting Rooney's involvement but there was a glimpse of his threat when he sidestepped Thiago Silva on the edge of the box, provoking a body check from the centreback that went unsanctioned.

Greece and Ukraine drew 0-0 in the first leg of their playoff in Athens, with Ukraine now favourites to take control of the tie at home in Donetsk on Wednesday.

In Africa, Nigeria and Cameroon qualified for the finals but Egypt and Algeria must play off in Sudan on Wednesday after finishing with identical records in their qualifying group.

Egypt beat Algeria 2-0 in Cairo with the dramatic second goal coming in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Two goals from Diniyar Bilyaletdinov on either side of halftime put the Russians in control over Slovenia in Moscow and in sight of their 10th World Cup finals appearance, including those made by the Soviet Union.

Slovenia's only previous showing in the finals came in 2002 but substitute Nejc Pecnik gave them real hopes of another appearance with his late header to leave Wednesday's second leg in Maribor in the balance.

Nigeria clinched their place in the finals when they came from behind to beat Kenya 3-2 in Nairobi with Obafemi Martins scoring twice to give them victory and allow them to snatch top place in the group from Tunisia who lost 1-0 to Mozambique.

Cameroon qualified for their sixth World Cup, a record for an African nation with a 2-0 win in Morocco.

Woods lost his three-shot advantage in six holes as he hit one poor shot after another and put himself in bad positions. The only good news for the world's No 1 player was that he still had a chance.

Chalmers, who has not won in his native Australia since 1998, had a 69 despite missing a 6-foot par putt on the 16th hole and a birdie putt on the 18th from about that range. Nitties, frustrated early as putts refused to fall, played bogey-free for his 69 and will give Kingston Heath an All-Australian final pairing.

Woods was so frustrated after missing a 5-foot birdie putt on the 12th, he hit his driver well to the right on the 354-yard 13th hole. He threw his driver into the ground and it bounced up and into the gallery, where one surprised fan caught the club and returned it.

He wasn't in the best of moods even before he teed off. Woods had what he described as a terrible session on the practice range. He took that game to the course, missing most of the shots to the right, starting with a 3-iron into the hay on the easy par-5 opening hole that he failed to birdie for the first time all week.

It never got better.

His lone birdies were a 35-foot putt on the second hole and a two-putt birdie on the 14th. With a chance to take the outright lead, Woods missed a 10-foot birdie on the final hole to join the leaders at 10-under 206.

If he fails to win today, it would be the first time in his career that Woods has blown 36-hole leads in three straight tournaments. He had the halfway lead at the Tour Championship and was tied after 36 holes last week in Shanghai, both tournaments won by Phil Mickelson.

The challenge now comes from an Aussie duo that was steady throughout the overcast day at Kingston Heath, which kept the greens relatively soft. Thirty-two of the 77 players who made the cut managed to break par.

But the Bath wing's score could not disguise the fact that for much of the match England lacked invention and rarely threatened Argentina's line.

Victory did give manager Martin Johnson his sixth win from 13 games in charge and eased some of the pressure on the 2003 World Cup-winning captain.

However, England will have to up their game if they are to beat New Zealand when the All Blacks arrive at Twickenham a week on Saturday.

It seemed that for the second match in a row, following last week's 18-9 loss to Australia, that England - showing four changes from the side beaten by the Wallabies - would be rendered try-less until they at last worked an overlap which saw Banahan go in under the posts.

But it was Argentina who appeared the more inspired and then laid siege to England's line as they chased the converted try which would have tied the scores.

Djokovic, who won the Basel tournament last weekend, looked in control from the very start of the match and encountered little resistance from an uncharacteristically subdued Nadal, who is without a title since May.

The Serb will play the winner of the second semi-final between French 15th seed Gael Monfils and Czech 13th seed Radek Stepanek in Sunday's final.

"He played very well, unbelievable in my opinion," said Nadal.

"When Novak plays at that level it's very difficult to play him, especially on a hard, fast court. I've never played against Djokovic when he's been at this level before."

Djokovic claimed the first break of serve for a 4-2 lead with an inch-perfect backhand winner down the line after an entertaining opening in which neither player was afraid to come to the net.

The 23-year-old world number three then secured the first set in Nadal's next service game with a backhand return that let the Spaniard rooted to the spot.

Nadal had already proved his durability in the tournament by seeing off five match points in his second-round win over Nicolas Almagro and surviving another match point against 14th-seeded countryman Tommy Robredo in round three.

Djokovic, though, is on top of his game at the moment and he broke early in set two for a 2-0 lead with a punishing forehand winner.

Nadal, whose last title came when he beat Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters, was struggling to contend with his opponent's raking groundstrokes but managed to end a run of seven lost games by holding serve for 3-1.