All Whites captain Chris Wood Photo: DJ Mills / www.photosport.nz
The All Whites have secured a semi-final spot in the Oceania FIFA World Cup qualifiers with an 8-1 win over Vanuatu in Hamilton.
Returning to the region where he played the majority of his youth football, All Whites captain Chris Wood showed on home soil a glimpse of what has made him the talk of England's Premier League of late.
Wood's goal-scoring form at club level for Nottingham Forest continued at the international level where he scored a brace in front of a large crowd at Waikato Stadium but he could have had more goals if he had nailed all his chances.
In a dominant first half, Matt Garbett opened the scoring in the 11th minute capitalising on a Vanuatu error and taking a long-range strike to bury the ball into the top left corner of the net.
It was the fifth time Garbett, who plays club football for NAC Breda in the Netherlands, had scored goal in an All Whites shirt.
Five minutes later, the visitors levelled the scores against the run of play with Jordy Tasip scoring his first goal for Vanuatu.
A header from Wood gave the home side the lead in the 23rd minute and he doubled his personal tally less than a minute later calmly slotting home a goal off a pass from Garbett.
New Zealand's Chris Wood and Elijah Just against Vanuatu at the Oceania qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup. Photo: DJ Mills / www.photosport.nz
Central defender Tyler Bindon extended the lead even further with his first goal for New Zealand just after the half hour mark and he played a significant role in the All Whites' fifth goal of the half when he forced the opposition captain Brian Kaltack to head in an own goal minutes later.
After the half-time break, Vanuatu had the first shot on target and forced goalkeeper Max Crocombe to make a save on a night in which he had very little to do but he would remain reasonably untroubled for the remainder of the game.
It took the All Whites a while to break down the Vanuatu defence in the second half with many unfinished opportunities in front of goal but Eli Just added a sixth goal in the 74th minute.
Just after the hour mark, forward Sarpreet Singh came off the bench for his 15th cap for New Zealand after a tough few years where injury and a rollercoaster club football career has kept him out of the national side.
Singh was able confidently score the All Whites' seventh goal, and just his second goal for New Zealand, six years after first getting on the score sheet.
Substitute Callum McCowatt added to Vanuatu's pain by scoring the home side's eighth.
Auckland FC's Liam Gillion got on the field to make his All Whites' debut with around 10 minutes of regular time left to play.
Wood told the host broadcaster he was "happy with a couple of goals but I'm more happy with the win".
"It got us through to the next round which is the main thing."
New Zealand fans at the All Whites versus Vanuatu Oceania qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Photo: DJ Mills / www.photosport.nz
The All Whites play their next Oceania Football World Cup qualifier in Group B against Samoa in Auckland on Monday.
New Zealand currently lead the group with two wins.
The top two teams after the final rounds on Sunday (Group A) and Monday (Group B) will meet in the semifinals in March.
The Oceania winner will qualify for the World Cup in 2026, while the runner-up will get the chance to qualify through an intercontinental playoff.
