Haiti rout New Zealand 4-0 in World Cup warmup

Haiti crushed a shambolic New Zealand 4-0 in a steamy World Cup warmup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Tuesday, delighting a buzzing crowd of Haitian fans and spoiling a milestone match for All Whites captain Chris Wood.

Ruben Providence struck in the 12th minute at Inter Miami CF Stadium and substitute Lenny Joseph doubled the lead for the 82nd-ranked Caribbeans six minutes after the restart.

Frantzdy Pierrot grabbed a third with a header after the hour-mark before Markhus Lacroix finished the demolition job with a long-range rocket as the counter-punching Grenadiers dismantled the World Cup’s lowest-ranked nation.

Haiti’s buildup was overshadowed by visa trouble for midfielder Woodensky Pierre, the squad’s only player based in the Caribbean nation.

Pierre was unable to play against the New Zealanders because his visa was not approved by US authorities until too late.

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He landed at Miami airport around half-time with Haitian soccer officials and hoped to catch the last part of the game, a team spokesperson told Reuters.

New Zealand skipper Wood became his nation’s most-capped player with 89 appearances, moving one past Ivan Vicelich, but there was little to celebrate for the Nottingham Forest striker.

Wood conjured one of his side’s few chances early in the first half with a bicycle kick, saved on the line by goalkeeper Jhony Placide.

New Zealand’s Alex Paulsen had a poor audition to be his team’s starting goalkeeper, while centre back Finn Surman also had a first half to forget.

Both were culpable in Providence’s goal as the Netherlands-based forward wriggled by Surman in the area and chipped Paulsen from a tight angle.

Tim Payne, New Zealand’s suddenly famous full back, went to ground in the area after contact with Placide in the 17th minute but no penalty was given and no VAR was available. New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley put Max Crocombe in goal for the second half amid a slew of substitutions but three goals sailed by the hapless keeper as the All Whites’ defence collapsed.

Joseph took a through-ball between defenders Michael Boxall and Francis De Vries and tucked a left-footed shot into the corner before an unmarked Pierrot headed in a cross from five metres on 62 minutes.

Lacroix completed New Zealand’s embarrassment on 87 minutes when he turned on the edge of the area and blasted into the right corner of the net, sending blue and red-clad fans into a frenzy.