PAINFUL NEWS;Chris Wood has suddenly been ban from the rest of the season due to…

Chris Wood scoring goals is barely even news at this point given his exploits for Nottingham Forest this season, but his hattrick for New Zealand on Friday came with a bizarre caution.

Wood scored a hat-trick against Samoa in his last international outing for New Zealand in 2024, supported by a brace against Vanuatu just three days earlier.

In the time between international football, the 33-year-old has only continued this rich vein of form in the Premier League for Forest, aiding in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side closing in on Champions League qualification.

Team

MP

W

D

L

GD

Pts

1

Liverpool

29 21 7 1 42 70

2

Arsenal

29 16 10 3 29 58

3

Nottm Forest

29 16 6 7 14 54

4

Chelsea

29 14 7 8 16 49

5

Man City

29 14 6 9 15 48

6

Newcastle

28 14 5 9 9 47

Wood scored three in the 7-0 demolition of Brighton in February as the Kiwi hitman continued to rack up crucial goals for the Forest squad, totalling 18 Premier League strikes with nine games still to play.

It was no surprise really then to see the goalscoring form transfer back to the international stage with his hat-trick against Fiji on Friday, but a bizarre yellow card has dominated the narrative for Wood.

Chris Wood received a yellow card for interacting with New Zealand fans

Wood’s job was done early as his hat-trick was sealed on the hour mark, leading to head coach Darren Bazeley substituting his star man in the 62nd minute for a well-earned rest.

Naturally, New Zealand fans are in awe of the Forest man so Wood took the opportunity to sign a few autographs, something the referee did not approve of.

In an incredibly harsh turn of events, Wood was cautioned by referee Norbert Hauata for this harmless act, which seemed especially harsh given that the striker was no longer actively involved in the match having been subbed off.