<\/p>\n
Wood was initially flagged for offside after the incisive pass from midfielder Joe Bell struck a South Korean defender and fell into the Burnley forward's path, but the marginal decision was correctly overturned by the video assistant referee.<\/p>\n
Setting up in a 3-4-3 formation, New Zealand were disjointed and cagey in the first half and relied on two important saves from goalkeeper Michael Woud to keep Group B favourites South Korea at bay.<\/p>\n
Changhoon Kwon looked likely to open the scoring midway through the first half after controlling a dangerous cross from Yoonseong Kang with his chest but Woud made himself big and came up with the vital intervention as Kwon pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here!<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Despite their cautious start, going 66 minutes before registering a single shot on target, the OlyWhites grew in confidence in the second half and in the end were deserving of their narrow victory, with Wood's strike proving to be the match-winner.<\/p>\n With Honduras and Romania to come, Thursday's win has given the OlyWhites an excellent chance of progressing out of Group B and reaching the knockout stages.<\/p>\n New Zealand 1<\/strong> (Chris Wood 70') South Korea 0 <\/strong>HT: 0-0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n