Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has seen his participation in the World Cup come to a heartbreaking conclusion.
The All Whites went into the game with Belgium, knowing that a win would secure them a first-ever knockout game in a World Cup.
However, it wasn’t to be, and New Zealand – with Wood captaining the side – fell to a resounding 5-1 defeat against Belgium.
Now, Wood will head off on holiday, dust himself off and prepare to come back to Forest next season on the hunt for more goals.
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Chris Wood given harsh 3/10 by New Zealand media
Wood might be the nation’s hero when it comes to football in New Zealand, but after finishing goalless at the World Cup, he was handed a 3/10 for his final performance at the tournament.
Wood led the line on his own in this contest and in large parts of the game, found himself isolated as he spearheaded the attack.
The New Zealand Herald said: “The captain was playing one-on-two for most of the game with very few chances. Won a defensive corner header, which says it all when that’s the Chris Wood highlight of the match.”
What the future holds for Wood on the international stage does seem to hang in the balance, although it feels unlikely that he will simply walk away.
At 34-years-old, the prospects of another World Cup do feel somewhat slim for Wood, and he will have taken a lot of pride in leading the team at this tournament despite failing to score or win a game.
Wood has served his country with distinction and has absolutely nothing to prove. Now, the hope will be that he can recover from this quickly and return ready to score goals for Forest again next season.
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