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All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston - Source: Photosport -
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As the referee pointed to the penalty spot, a deathly hush descended over the Wellington crowd for the first and only time of the night.
With the entire country holding their breath, All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston managed to remain calm and focussed.
The penalty decision early in the second half was greeted with mass celebration among the players and their fans.
An equaliser at this critical stage would swing the momentum towards the Middle East side and heap pressure on the All Whites.
Only one man stood in their way.
The 32-year-old Paston had to make an instant decision and relied on a gut feeling.
"I made up my mind pretty early it was going to go right," he told tvnz.co.nz after the game.
"I just had a feeling that he was going to go [that way] - and I was right."
It was the moment of the night and the crowd of 35,194 at
Westpac Stadium went ballistic.
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The television commentators claimed that Paston had waited until the last possible moment, watched the player's stride and then made his successful dive.
But according to the man himself this was not the case.
"I would like to say that I looked at his technique and guessed, but nah," he said.
In the media box there was general surprise to see the tall, lanky figure of Sayed Mohamed striding forward to take the penalty. The 29-year-old had been a tower of strength at the back in the first half , defusing a number of All White attacks, but as a general rule defenders do not take penalties.
Strikers, who spend their lives trying to outwit goalkeepers and are often confident individuals, are often the best candidates, or midfielders who tend to have a silky touch on the ball.
What did Paston think when he saw Mohammed walking towards him?
"I knew he could smack a ball - in the first leg he hit a few free kicks [but] I was a little bit surprised.
"It didn't really matter to be honest though - it was all about the ball and trying to keep it out."
I asked Paston what was going through his mind as Mohammed ran in to take the penalty.
"Just go the right way and just dive.
"I made up my mind quite early - and went - and it stuck.
"He hit it reasonably well but not very wide so it was fairly comfortable in the end but pretty important," explained Paston with the understatement of the year.
And the modest Paston, who made his All Whites debut back in 1997, has now become a reluctant hero.
"Do you realise that you have just made yourself an instant legend?" one reporter inquired.
"Yeah - I am a little bit uncomfortable with that sort of talk. Rory [Fallon] scored the winner and the boys defended amazingly especially in the second half so I would be pretty uncomfortable with it all."
His 10-week-old son Jack was in the grandstand, strapped to the front of wife Amy, and Paston is looking forward to spending some time with them after the intensity of the build up to the match.
"The whole week - well basically the whole month - has been focussed about this one night."
