But his sacrifice has potentially huge benefits for football across the Tasman.

The latest addition to the Smeltz family arrived on Friday as dad was preparing for his country's qualifier with New Caledonia.

Smeltz's two goals in a 3-1 win booked a future date with the fifth-placed Asian team and also confirmed a spot in next year's Conferations Cup.

Phoenix CEO Tony Pignata told au.fourfourtwo.com: "Shane's daughter arrived on Friday and I'm sure Shane was very happy to celebrate with a couple of goals.

"Hats off to him. New Zealand now have the play-off to look forward to."

Pignata admits World Cup qualification for New Zealand would be great news for not just the All Whites and their fans but football as a whole.

The Wellington Phoenix striker's efforts have been applauded by his A-League club and they are now hoping the forward can push New Zealand over the final hurdle.

He said: "We saw what an impact the World Cup in 2006 had on football in Australia and the A-League.

"I think it would be tremendous for New Zealand to be part of that (World Cup) as well."

While some New Zealanders (and pessimistic Australians) are already talking about a play-off between the countries for a spot at South Africa 2010, Pignata believes many New Zealanders would rather see a tangle at the tournament itself.

He said: "I think a lot of fans would love to see the teams taking each other on at the tournament itself, although I don't know whether the seedings would allow that to happen."