World Cup 2010: New Zealand v Slovakia and Ivory Coast v Portugal

For a country with only one professional football team (which plays in the Australian league) and a population of just 4.3 million (most of whom favour rugby), New Zealand's presence at the World Cup finals is about as incongruous as Blackpool's in the Premier League. Still, it's good to see these Kiwi fans are taking it seriously Photograph: Lee Jin-man/AP Photograph: Lee Jin-man/guardian.co.uk Curiously though, it's Slovakia who are appearing in their first ever World Cup - the All Whites having reached the 1982 finals, during which they nearly embarrassed Scotland before eventually losing 5-2 Photograph: Hassan Ammar/AP Photograph: Hassan Ammar/guardian.co.uk A couple of Kiwis unfurl a banner. But where's Gary, New Zealand's most famous sheep? Still traumatised after the accidental shearing incident? Photograph: Dennis Sabangan/EPA Photograph: Dennis Sabangan/guardian.co.uk A beautiful blue sky overhead, a half empty stadium in which to play ... Ryan Nelsen must be feeling like he's back in Aotearoa Photograph: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images Photograph: Robert Cianflone/guardian.co.uk The All Whites make an auspicious start, pressing the Slovakians into their own half and creating a couple of half-chances Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/guardian.co.uk Slovakia's Jan Durica drops New Zealand's Leo Bertos to prevent another attack Photograph: Rolf Vennenbernd/EPA Photograph: Rolf Vennenbernd/guardian.co.uk New Zealand's head coach Ricki Herbert, who's also the boss of Wellington Phoenix, gesticulates on the touchline Photograph: Dennis Sabangan/EPA Photograph: Dennis Sabangan/guardian.co.uk A rarity in the first half - New Zealand on the back foot. The Slovakians whip over a free-kick but the danger soon passes Photograph: Hassan Ammar/AP Photograph: Hassan Ammar/guardian.co.uk After much vuvuzela parping, these fans opt for a bit of waving instead Photograph: Scott Heavey/Action Images Photograph: Scott Heavey/guardian.co.uk Five minutes after the interval, Slovakia's Robert Vittek sends a glancing header beyond goalkeeper Mark Paston to give the favourites the lead Photograph: Daniel Munoz/Reuters Photograph: Daniel Munoz/guardian.co.uk Vittek looks relieved - his side have done little to warrant their lead Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters Photograph: Alessandro Bianchi/guardian.co.uk Jan Durica tries to spin clear of Rory Fallon Photograph: Paul Buck/EPA Photograph: Paul Buck/guardian.co.uk Nelsen, the Blackburn midfielder and All Whites' captain, hits the deck as the game draws to a finish Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters Photograph: Dylan Martinez/guardian.co.uk But hold on, they've only gone a grabbed a point with the last attack of the game! Winston Reid - a former Danish Under-21 player who was born in New Zealand, heads in off the post in the 93rd minute ... Lovely stuff Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images Photograph: Clive Rose/guardian.co.uk Over in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Ivory Coast face Portugal in the so-called group of death Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images Photograph: Lee Smith/guardian.co.uk ... where Ronaldo, is on show. And doesn't he know it. Put a sock in it, Ronnie Photograph: Julie Jacobson/AP Photograph: Julie Jacobson/guardian.co.uk The Real Madrid forward cracks the post with a dipping long-range effort in the first half Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters Photograph: Denis Balibouse/guardian.co.uk ... and clashes with Yaya Toure Photograph: Robert Ghement/EPA Photograph: Robert Ghement/guardian.co.uk Next up, he has a spat with Ivory Coast's Guy Demel Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images Photograph: Lee Smith/guardian.co.uk Didier Drogba, back despite his fractured elbow, comes on as a substitute to wrestle the limelight from the Portuguese Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images Photograph: Lee Smith/guardian.co.uk But Drogba wastes a fantastic chance in the closing stages when he skews a shot across the face of the goal. The match ends 0-0, which hasn't exactly helped the tournament's pitiful goals-to-games ratio Photograph: Howard Burditt/Reuters Photograph: Howard Burditt/guardian.co.uk