Superstitious football fans beware: the All Whites have been cursed.
A snake charmer in Peru has put a hex on the team in a bid to stop them winning tomorrow's World Cup qualifying match in Lima, and there are signs it could be working.
The All Whites have faced a strange set of logistical nightmares - their flight was delayed, and so was their bus.
When the team arrived for training at the Estadio Nacional, the driver got the wrong entrance and the bus got stuck.
The mishap delighted the Peruvian fans watching, who mobbed their own team's bus when they left their final practice session.
Shamans outside the stadium told Newshub that their rituals, involving snakes and flowers, will give the home team the spiritual strength to beat New Zealand.
But All Whites coach Anthony Hudson says he and the team aren't worried about a curse.
"We're probably more suited and more resilient away from home than we are at home, because we're not used to playing at home. The bus, the plane, all of that is not a problem for us."
It's been 35 years since Peru last competed at a world cup, even though their football team is officially considered the 10th best in the world. Standing in their way is the 122nd best team, the All Whites.
Peruvians remain confident of victory. One fan dressed up as a tree trunk reading 'New Zealand', implying the All Whites were big and slow and the Peruvians would dance all around them.
The population of 30 million football mad fans will be rewarded with a public holiday immediately following the match if they win.
Newshub.
