“Ruben Providence opens the scoring to give Haiti the lead, setting the tone for what would become a dominant performance.”
Pivotal“Lenny Joseph, introduced just four minutes earlier, scores to make it 2-0 and effectively ends New Zealand's hopes of a comeback.”
Pivotal“Frantzdy Pierrot adds a third goal to put the result beyond all doubt, completing a ruthless ten-minute spell that saw Haiti score twice through substitute attackers.”
“Duke Lacroix wraps up a convincing evening with Haiti's fourth goal, putting the final gloss on a disciplined and clinical display.”
Haiti
New Zealand
Haiti put in a commanding display against New Zealand in this friendly international, with the scoreline eventually reflecting a comfortable evening's work for the Caribbean side despite the statistics telling a more nuanced story. New Zealand actually generated more dangerous attacks — 55 to Haiti's 42 — and matched their opponents on corners and shots, yet converted only three of their 12 attempts on target compared to Haiti's clinical seven, underlining the gulf in finishing quality on the night. Ruben Providence broke the deadlock in the 12th minute to give Haiti early control, and although New Zealand showed some competitive instincts in the first half, Didier Tholot's side used a wave of half-time substitutions to completely reshape the match, with Lenny Joseph adding a second just six minutes into the second period and Frantzdy Pierrot making it three shortly after. Duke Lacroix sealed the rout with a late strike in the 87th minute, giving Haiti a convincing pre-tournament result ahead of what promises to be a significant summer for both nations, with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon for the All Whites but serving as a stern reminder of the work still to be done.
How entertaining was this match?
Two nations on the brink of World Cup glory meet in Fort Lauderdale for a high-stakes friendly on June 3. Haiti, making their first World Cup appearance in 52 years, and New Zealand's All Whites both need this match to sharpen up before the tournament begins. With low-scoring expectations and plenty of tactical intrigue, this neutral-site clash promises more than its friendly billing suggests.
