I feel like I did after the Paraguay game at the 2010 WC. While on paper this is a creditable result and if it was offered weeks ago I would have taken it, I can't help feeling we missed a trick by not being a bit more bold and trying to go for it earlier.
We knew they would pressure us but we set up in a way which gave us absolutely no outlet to relieve it. Sure, even if Wood couldn't start (and I don't buy that - he seemed to get through 45 minutes fine) we still put out a team which couldn't get the ball out of our half. Tuiloma for Rojas meant that we just got pinned back and Kosta was eveen more isolated than he had been in the first leg. And once we conceded a goal we knew there would be no extra time yet Wood still didn't come on.
I'm not saying we should have gone gung ho. But we basically set up to cede possession and territory to Peru in exchange for bodies in our own box. I know we conceded from a counter attack when we didn't actually have players back but it was the result of cumulative pressure. That shot which hammered the crossbar earlier should have been an indication that Peru would find a way through. And we just gave them attempt after attempt to come at us because we didn't have the players to press them higher up the pitch and we couldn't keep the ball because we were all pinned deep in our own half with the exception of a single short guy by himself up front.
Yeah a draw and a 2-0 loss to the 5th best team in South America is a good result for NZ football credibility-wise, but I keep thinking that we missed a chance at glory there.