SOCCER: 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.

Visa Trouble Overshadows Haiti's Buildup

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 U.S. authorities until it was too late.

A team spokesperson told Reuters that Pierre landed at the Miami airport around halftime with Haitian soccer officials, hoping to catch the final stretch of the match.

A Bitter Milestone for Chris Wood

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, which was 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 center back Finn Surman also had a first half to forget. Both were culpable in Providence's goal, as the Netherlands-based forward wriggled past Surman in the penalty area and chipped Paulsen from a tight angle.

Tim Payne, New Zealand's full back, went to ground in the box after contact with Placide in the 17th minute, but no penalty was awarded and VAR was unavailable.

Defensive Collapse in the Second Half

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' defense collapsed.

Joseph took a through-ball between defenders Michael Boxall and Francis De Vries and tucked a left-footed shot into the corner. Soon after, an unmarked Pierrot headed in a cross from five meters out in the 62nd minute.

Lacroix completed New Zealand's embarrassment in the 87th minute when he turned on the edge of the penalty area and blasted a shot into the right corner of the net, sending the blue- and red-clad fans into a frenzy.

-Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Kevin Buckland/Reuters