New Zealand fans and players clashed with police and security staff after the All Whites' remarkable World Cup run ended just one point short of a historic qualification for the knockout stages.
Fans on one side of the ground were forcibly removed by riot police, while players on the opposite side of the stadium had to wrestle with Fifa officials to get to their family and friends, according to reports in New Zealand last night.
About 20 minutes after the players had returned to the dressing rooms, police asked the New Zealand fans to leave. But about 100 of them refused to move and continued singing. Riot police then moved up the stands, pushing the fans back with their shields and batons and into the stairwells behind the stands.
Despite the clashes the police spokesman Colonel Hangwani Mulaudzi said it was a peaceful confrontation. "A group of New Zealand fans were singing inside the stadium after the match. They were happy that their team had drawn," Mulaudzi said. "Police told them to move on, that the game had finished and they obliged. Everything was friendly."
The goalless draw was enough to ensure Paraguay finished top of Group F. Despite the All Whites' elimination their coach, Ricki Herbert, was proud of his team's performances after remaining unbeaten and finishing ahead of the world champions, Italy.
"I am delighted with what the guys have done. I'll need to pinch myself," he said. "Probably tonight was always going to be based on those one or two chances and, if we got them, then great.
"We will not go through another World Cup unbeaten. It is only our second time at the World Cup so to come here and completely reverse what we did before [they lost all three matches in Spain in 1982] is amazing.
"Can you get any closer [to qualifying]? A lot of people thought we shouldn't have been here, that we had amateurs in the team that weren't good enough but I think that is dead and buried now."