Herbert rarely singles individuals out for praise post-match for either the All Whites or with the Wellington Phoenix, but such was the strength of Nelsen's leadership in the game in Nelspruit, the New Zealand coach deviated from his normal policy.

"I'm always a bit loathe to [single anyone out], because I think this team has been built on that foundation, but we have a wonderful captain. Ryan's relationship, communication, application to the team has been second to none," he said.

Herbert said Nelsen's performance was not just about his own efforts, but his ability to fast track the development of inexperienced fellow defenders Winston Reid and Tommy Smith.

"He's extremely inspirational. He's got two extremely talented young players who have had just two or three international fixtures playing alongside him that have really grown. That's compliments to his ability to engage them."

Herbert said Nelsen's leadership had given his team a unique quality, in that there was a real harmony in the team

"You only have to see the dressing room. There's no egos, there's no issues. They are very competitive, and I'd be disappointed if they weren't. It's a unique team. I've never seen a team like this," he said.

"The boys are enjoying this, but there is a real sense of knowing that we only have four days to get ready for Paraguay. That's our challenge. We aren't getting carried away with this."

Herbert also praised the performance of his three frontmen, Rory Fallon, Chris Killen and Shane Smeltz in trying circumstances.

"Tonight was always going to be tough for the front runners and I was a little bit critical of them against Slovakia, but they weren't going to get the same volume of ball tonight. They worked hard It was good to see Shane scoring," he said.

He revealed that he was concerned that the attention that referee Carlos Batres was paying to Fallon might see the big man sent off and that's why he was substitute despite a robust performance.

"That's why I took him off. I thought he was getting a raw deal from the ref and I wanted to save his tournament."

Meanwhile, Herbert said he hadn't formed an opinion on whether Smeltz's goal was offside or if Daniele De Rossi has dived for the Italian penalty.

"Sometimes you get the luck and sometimes you don't," he said.