Winston Reid helped New Zealand make the perfect start to their preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with a 2-0 friendly victory over Australia on Monday.
The West Ham United defender started the contest in Ichihara, Japan, captaining his country as the All Whites secured a first victory over their neighbours since 2002.
Second half goals from Burnley striker Chris Wood and Helsingor's Eli Just settled the match, which comes ten days out from their tournament opener against South Korea in Kashima.
Auckland-born Reid, who has 25 senior caps for his country, is set to appear at his second major tournament, having featured at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
A West Ham player since 2010, he has made over 200 appearances for the Irons, winning promotion in 2012, the Hammer of the Year award the following year and being named New Zealand Footballer of the Year in 2014.
After returning from a long-term knee injury, Reid enjoyed a successful end to the 2020/21 season, going out on loan and helping Brentford win promotion to the Premier League for the first time via a Play-Off final win over Swansea City at Wembley Stadium in May.
New Zealand will also take on Honduras and Romania in Kashima and Sapporo respectively, as they aim to progress from the group stage at the Olympics for the first time.
They appeared at both the 2008 and 2012 Games in Beijing and London, and will conclude their preparations for the Tokyo tournament with another friendly against Australia on Thursday.