MIAMI: Coach Darren Bazeley described it as "really disappointing" after his New Zealand side suffered a demoralizing 4-0 World Cup warm-up defeat to fellow qualifiers Haiti on Tuesday, in a match delayed by lightning in Florida. It was New Zealand's heaviest loss in nine years and a rude awakening with a friendly against England next and the World Cup in North America just over a week away.
Match Delayed by Weather
The game at Inter Miami's stadium in Fort Lauderdale, which teed up two of the lowest-ranked teams at the World Cup, started 30 minutes late because of the weather. When it did begin, Haiti took the lead after 12 minutes through Ruben Providence.
Second Half Collapse
The 32-year-old New Zealand defender Tim Payne, who has become an unlikely social media star, was among a raft of players to come off at half-time. With much of the crowd behind them, Haiti scored after the break through Lenny Joseph, Frantzdy Pierrot and Duke Lacroix as the New Zealand defence capitulated.
The All Whites' best opportunity fell to captain and Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who had a bicycle kick saved on the line in his 89th game for his country, a New Zealand record.
Coach's Reaction
"My analyst has already told me that stats for possession, shots and chances were pretty similar (to Haiti)," the Englishman Bazeley said. "But the scoreline is 4-0 and we can't hide behind a scoreline that's 4-0." He added: "We can be better, we definitely need to be better. We are at the biggest tournament in the world and we have England coming up in four days."
World Cup Groups
New Zealand, who have yet to win a game in two previous World Cup appearances, are in Group G with Iran, Egypt and Belgium. Haiti, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1974, have been placed in a daunting Group C that includes Brazil, Morocco and Scotland.
Looking Ahead
Despite the poor result in humid conditions, Bazeley attempted to strike an upbeat tone with Thomas Tuchel's England looming in another warm-up. "On our day, when everyone performs to their best, we're a good team," he said. "We have not shown that tonight and that's really disappointing."
