First-half goal by Smeltz gives New Zealand 1-0 win over Serbia in World Cup warmup

New Zealand beats Serbia 1-0 in WCup warmup

KLAGENFURT, Austria — Striker Shane Smeltz scored in the first half to give New Zealand a 1-0 win over Serbia in a World Cup warmup match on Saturday.

Smeltz rounded off a quick counterattack in the 23th minute with a low shot past Serbia goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic for his 16th goal in 29 appearances for New Zealand.

New Zealand is in Group F at the World Cup with Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia, which drew with Cameroon 1-1 earlier Saturday.

Serbia is in Group D with Ghana, Germany and Australia.