(Reuters) – Chris Wood grew to become New Zealand’s most prolific scorer with a brace in a 4-0 rout of Fiji on Monday because the All Whites booked their place in the semi-finals of the Oceania World Cup qualifying match in Doha.
The Newcastle United striker nodded in a header on the cusp of half-time to attract degree with Vaughan Coveny on 29 objectives, then curled in a shot in the 73rd minute to say the record outright.
“It means quite a bit. It’s been wanted for a really very long time,” mentioned 30-year-old Wood.
“I dreamed as a child attempting to get to it, so to interrupt it’s incredible and hopefully I can add a couple of extra objectives throughout the course of my profession.”
Wood might not have too lengthy earlier than boosting his tally, with New Zealand to play world quantity 153 New Caledonia in their third and ultimate Group B sport on Thursday.
Wood scored his first worldwide aim as an 18-year-old in a 1-1 draw with Honduras in 2010, heading in a Jeremy Brockie cross and celebrating by dropping his shorts to disclose white and crimson underwear emblazoned with ‘Woodzee’.
His celebrations on Monday have been extra subdued.
“I’m glad I’m a bit more mature now,” mentioned the tall ahead.
“It’s all in regards to the group and profitable at this level in time, particularly in a match like this.
“With semi-finals and a ultimate it means a lot extra to get to the following spherical on the World Cup qualifying stage, it’s not in regards to the objectives.”
New Zealand, simply the strongest soccer nation in the Oceania area, beat Papua New Guinea 1-0 in their opener on Friday.
The prime two groups of the match’s two teams advance to semi-finals on Sunday earlier than the March 30 ultimate.
The winner advances to an intercontinental playoff in opposition to the fourth-placed aspect from the CONCACAF area, which options nations from North and Central America, and the Caribbean.
New Zealand have been the final Oceania group to qualify for the World Cup after they made the 2010 finals in South Africa.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
