Wood hits hat-trick in NZ World Cup qualifying rout

Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood hit a hat-trick for New Zealand in an 8-0 thrashing of Samoa in World Cup qualifying on Monday to extend his red-hot form for club and country.

The striker netted twice on Friday in an 8-1 hammering of Vanuatu and he was at it again versus the outclassed Samoans, who are ranked 186th.

Skipper Wood scored from close range in the 28th, 34th and 60th minutes in Auckland as New Zealand close in on a first World Cup since 2010.

They now go into a final round of Oceania qualifying in March to reach the World Cup in North America in 2026, with Fiji their next opponents.

The 32-year-old Wood is in the form of his life, scoring eight goals in 11 Premier League matches so far this season and helping Forest to fifth in the table.

Wood, whose former clubs include Leeds, Newcastle, Leicester and Burnley, was named Premier League player of the month for October, the first New Zealander to win the award.