FORT LAUDERDALE: 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 late, long-range rocket as the counter-punching Grenadiers dismantled the World Cup’s lowest-ranked nation.
World number 82 Haiti, only three places better than New Zealand, meet Scotland, Brazil and Morocco on their return to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years.
Haiti’s buildup to the match had been complicated 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.
He landed at Miami airport around half-time with Haitian football 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 all but conjured a goal early in the first half with a bicycle kick, but it was saved on the line by goalkeeper Jhony Placide.
At the other end of the pitch, Alex Paulsen had a poor audition to be New Zealand’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 goal area and chipped Paulsen from a tight angle.
New Zealand play England in their final warmup on Saturday before meeting Iran, Egypt and Belgium at their first World Cup since 2010.
Shell-shocked All Whites coach Darren Bazeley was surprised by his team’s lacklustre performance following a week in camp acclimatising in Florida.
“It’s a very harsh lesson for us, especially with tough games coming up,” he said in the post-match press conference. “The boys are in the change room very disappointed.”
RETURNING LUKAKU STRIKES ON COMEBACK
In Tuesday’s other friendly, Youri Tielemans and Romelu Lukaku struck a goal apiece in each half as Belgium down Croatia 2-0 at the Rujevica Stadium in Rijeka.
Captain Tielemans said that Lukaku scoring on his first international appearance in more than a year was “ideal”.
Lukaku found the net in the 96th minute having been missing since September 2025 due to injury in the Red Devils’ penultimate match before their tournament opener against Egypt on June 15.
The 33-year-old has played just 64 minutes for his club this season due to a hip niggle.
“This is ideal for Romelu, but also ideal for the team,” Tielemans told VTM. “We know how important he is to the group. He is sharp and mentally everything is fine too. We are going to need him very badly,” the Aston Villa midfielder added.
Croatia, World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, and a strong side including captain Luka Modric wearing a mask due to injury, end their own World Cup preparations by hosting Slovenia on Sunday.
They begin their World Cup campaign against England on June 17.
On the Adriatic coast, Lukaku was named on the bench with coach Rudi Garcia starting Atalanta midfielder Charles De Ketelaere in the attacking role.
Garcia’s side led 1-0 at the break thanks to an effort from Tielemans after 38 minutes.
A shot from Modric just before the interval was Croatia’s biggest chance of the first half before Osasuna striker Ante Budimir hit the bar near the hour mark.
Belgium doubled their lead in injury time as Lukaku claimed his 90th international goal before they host Tunisia on Saturday.
Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026
