Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood wrote his name into the New Zealand record books on Tuesday night, but the milestone came on a brutal evening for the All Whites
Wood became the first New Zealand player to reach 50 international goals when he converted a first-half penalty in Port-au-Prince. The 34-year-old Forest forward slotted home coolly in the 27th minute to give his side brief hope, moving clear of Vaughan Coveny as the nation’s all-time leading scorer.
The landmark was quickly overshadowed. Haiti, who face Scotland next week in a World Cup warm-up, ran riot to hand New Zealand a humiliating 6-1 defeat. The result is New Zealand’s heaviest loss since 2013 and raises fresh questions ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where the All Whites qualified as Oceania’s representative.
Haiti were relentless after going behind. Duckens Nazon levelled within three minutes of Wood’s penalty before Frantzdy Pierrot bagged a hat trick in 22 second-half minutes. Louicius Don Deedson and Danley Jean Jacques added late goals as Haiti exposed New Zealand’s defensive frailties with pace and direct play.
For Scotland, watching from afar, the performance will be a warning. Steve Clarke’s side meet Haiti in Edinburgh on June 10 in their final preparation match before the World Cup, and the Haitians looked sharp, clinical, and full of confidence.
New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley called the result “unacceptable” and apologized to fans. “Chris reaching 50 goals is a massive achievement for him and the country,” Bazeley said. “But we can’t hide from the scoreline. We were second best in every department after the first 30 minutes.”
Wood, who finished the Premier League season with 14 goals for Forest, cut a frustrated figure at full time. “Proud of the record, but it means nothing tonight,” he told reporters. “We have to be better. The World Cup is weeks away and performances like that will get us punished.”
Haiti head coach Sébastien Migné praised his side’s reaction to going behind. “We showed character and quality,” he said. “Scotland will be different, but this gives us belief.”
New Zealand have one more friendly against Jamaica on June 8 to fix issues before heading to the United States for their World Cup opener. On this evidence, there is plenty of work to do.
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