AUCKLAND (Interstat) — Jesse Randall scored twice in the first half and New Zealand never looked back, defeating India 5-0 on Thursday in a global football match. Randall opened the scoring in the 34th minute and doubled the lead in the 43rd, giving the home side a 2-0 advantage at halftime. New Zealand added to its control after the break when Wood Ch. scored in the 57th minute. Lachlan Bayliss, who was booked in the 50th minute, scored in the 75th as part of New Zealand’s five-goal total. India could not find a response and finished with no goals.

The decisive stretch came before halftime, when Randall turned a tight match into a two-goal cushion. His first goal in the 34th minute broke the deadlock, and his second in the 43rd gave New Zealand a lead it protected with ease. Randall’s two goals came within a nine-minute span and put India in a difficult position before the interval. Wood made it 3-0 in the 57th minute, and Bayliss added another in the 75th. New Zealand’s finishing and first-half pressure separated the teams, while India’s attack never threatened a comeback once the home side took control.

Randall finished with two goals in 73 minutes before being substituted. Wood Ch. scored in 74 minutes before coming off. Bayliss scored and was booked while playing 90 minutes. Bayliss’s yellow card was the only booking listed in the match. Matthew Garbett and Callan Elliot each recorded an assist in 60 minutes before being substituted, and L. Gillion provided an assist in 30 minutes. New Zealand made five changes in the 60th minute, including Garbett and Elliot, while Randall and Wood came off later. India made five substitutions at halftime, bringing on Fanai L., Madathil J., Varghese B., Singh T. and Ranbir P., and continued to rotate its lineup as the match moved away from it. India also used Colaco L. in the 66th, Singh M. in the 79th and Thapa A. in the 84th, while New Zealand brought on Pijnaker N. in the 83rd.

India’s season record in this competition is now 0 wins, 3 losses. New Zealand’s season record in this competition is now 1 wins, 0 losses. India’s season record across all competitions is now 2 wins, 3 losses. New Zealand’s season record across all competitions is now 1 wins, 1 losses. India has lost all three of its competition matches, while New Zealand has won its only competition match. India entered the match after a 1-0 win over Maldives and a 3-2 win at Pakistan, but it had also lost to Uruguay and Brazil earlier in the season. New Zealand had dropped a 2-1 decision at Japan in its previous outing.

The result gave New Zealand its first competition win and left India still searching for its first in the competition. India will next face Bhutan and New Zealand in upcoming matches, while New Zealand will meet India again. The home side’s finishing and Randall’s first-half brace were the difference in a match that was decided well before the closing stages. New Zealand’s late substitutions helped preserve the clean sheet and see out a comfortable home win. New Zealand evened its overall record at 1-1, while India fell to 2-3.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of New Zealand 1, India 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected New Zealand with a 75.2 percent probability to win. New Zealand had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.75.