The party is over, but Haiti learned important lesson from World Cup warmup loss | ANALYSIS

NEW YORK — Four days ago, it seemed as if Haiti was on top of the world after rolling past New Zealand 4-0 in front of an energized crowd at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The dream continued Friday night against Peru as Les Grenadiers stood less than 10 minutes away from a second consecutive victory in front of their electrified fans at a sold-out 26,700 Nu Stadium in Miami. 

Then the South Americans scored twice in three minutes, handing Haiti a heartbreaking 2-1 loss just one week before its long-awaited 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign begins. 

Head coach Sébastien Migné said the team learned a valuable lesson: finishing games requires more than scoring first. Wilson Isidor opened the scoring in the 16th minute, but Haiti failed to build on its lead and missed several golden opportunities. 

“Football is cruel,” Migné said during a postgame news conference. “When you’re playing against teams ranked in the top 50 in the world, there’s no room for mistakes. When you have the opportunity to finish the game, you must take it.”

“When you let your opponents breathe, things won’t end well,” he added.

Peru is placed No. 53 in FIFA’s rankings. All three of Haiti’s World Cup group-stage opponents rank higher. Scotland is 43rd, while Brazil and Morocco sit sixth and seventh, respectively. Haiti enters the tournament ranked 83rd.

Still, Haiti’s energetic attack has shown it can trouble higher-ranked opponents and even strike first, as it did Friday. What remains uncertain is whether Les Grenadiers possess the composure and experience to close out matches against elite competition.

Another electrifying start

Haiti opened the match aggressively, pressing Peru high up the field and disrupting its ability to dictate possession. Whenever Haiti regained the ball, its attackers surged forward, particularly right winger Don Deedson Louicius.

The pressure paid off in the 16th minute when Wilson Isidor calmly finished Louicius’ perfectly weighted through ball. Haitian flags waved throughout the sold-out stadium as fans celebrated the first goal ever scored in an international match at the newly inaugurated Inter Miami CF Nu Stadium.

For Isidor, it was his second goal in four appearances for Haiti, including three matches as a starter.

The Grenadiers remained the better side for most of the first half. Their midfield and defensive shape frustrated Peru, whose players increasingly resorted to physical play. Peru head coach Mano Menezes and midfielder Alfonso Barco were both shown yellow cards before halftime.                                         

Haiti turns cold and wasteful in second half 

As is often the case with an inexperienced international side, Haiti gradually took its foot off the gas, allowing Peru to settle into the match. Migné made seven substitutions between the 59th and 64th minutes, further disrupting Haiti’s rhythm.

Despite that, Haiti still had opportunities to put the game away.

In the 48th minute, Isidor blasted a loose ball over the crossbar from close range. Later, Haiti squandered a promising 4-on-3 break when midfielder Danley Jean-Jacques opted for a long-range shot that sailed wide despite two teammates being available.

Jean-Jacques appeared eager to score after Haiti’s 4-0 victory over New Zealand. The 26-year-old had also attempted several ambitious efforts in the first half.

“Next game, try to fix the errors,” Polyte Fritz-Gerald wrote on X. “Only shoot long-range efforts when there’s really no other option.”

Defensive midfielder Dominique Simon also missed a chance in the 72nd minute, sending his shot wide with the Peruvian goalkeeper off his line.

Peru finally broke through in the 81st minute. Center back Hannes Delcroix was caught flat-footed after a rebound from goalkeeper Johny Placide, allowing Renzo Garcés to poke home the equalizer.

Three minutes later, an unmarked Jairo Vélez blasted the winner for La Blanquirroja into the net from inside the penalty area.

Fans still behind Grenadiers

Veteran striker Frantzdy Pierrot said the defeat was particularly painful because the players wanted to reward the supporters who filled the stadium.

Haiti was just minutes away from victory before the match unraveled in a span of three minutes.

Even so, fans remained behind their team, chanting, playing music, and waving flags.

“Even when we were going through a difficult moment, I saw that the fans were still supporting us and that gives us a lot of strength,” Pierrot told reporters after the match.

Fans also commented positively across social media platforms.

Now, with the training camp in Florida concluding, Les Grenadiers will begin the second phase of their World Cup preparations at a training camp at Stockton University in New Jersey on June 8. Fans in the New York/New Jersey area will have the opportunity to see the team in an open-to-the-public training session on June 9.  Four days later, Haiti will play its first World Cup match in 52 years, facing Scotland at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The loss to Peru ended the celebrations that followed the victory over New Zealand. But it also delivered a timely reminder: against World Cup-caliber opponents, scoring first is not enough. Haiti must learn how to finish matches if it hopes to make noise on soccer’s biggest stage.

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