And for a while yesterday, the Futsal Whites dared to dream.
They led world No3 Spain 1-0 after six minutes of their second pool game in their inaugural appearance at the World Cup in Uzbekistan.
The Spanish were never going to be down for long, and they completely dominated the rest of the game to win 7-1.
New Zealand made an almost unbelievable start when captain Dylan Manickum darted down the wing and fed youngster Art Twigg, who stroked it home.
The fairy tale was alive in Andijan for about six minutes before Spain started clicking into gear.
They pulled a goal back to make it 1-1 at halftime, and star man Catela — so good he only requires one name — banged in a hat-trick in the second half.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, there were plaudits for Kiwi goalie Mikhail Antamanov.
Spain fired an astonishing 109 shots at his goal, while New Zealand managed just 10 at the other end.
The Futsal Whites now head to Tashkent for their final pool game against world No8 Kazakhstan.
