Willington: New Zealand beat Papua New Guinea 4-2 in a penalty shootout on Saturday to win the Oceania Nations Cup and qualify for next year's FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic saved two of the home team's spot kicks to give New Zealand victory after the teams had been locked at 0-0 at the end of extra time.
The all-amateur Papua New Guinea team, roared on by a large crowd at the Sir John Guise Stadium in the capital Port Moresby, created more chances than New Zealand in normal time.
Raymond Gunemba hit the crossbar from a tight angle in the second half while Nigel Dabinyaba forced a diving save from Marinovic in one of the few highlights of the first half.
New Zealand captain Rory Fallon went close with a header from a free kick on the hour mark while Jeremy Brockie missed from point black range in extra time.
In the shootout, Marinovic stopped Koriak Upaiga's first attempt but the advantage was short-lived as Brockie pushed his attempt wide.
Gunemba then saw his shot tipped onto the post by Marinovic, allowing Marco Rojas to slot the winning goal.
"It was a very difficult game, all credit to them, but one of the toughest games I have been involved in," Fallon said. "It was very nerve-wracking out there with their counter-attacks.
"Our defence and the whole team was unreal. By the end, everyone was knackered and hobbling towards penalties."
New Zealand qualified for the Confederations Cup for the first time since 2009 while the top-six nations at the tournament — Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Tahiti — qualify for the third stage of World Cup qualifying.