T&T’s World Cup campaign faces an almost certain end after the team was held to a 1-1 draw by Curacao on Tuesday night at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, as the action in the final round of the World Cup Qualifiers continued.
With T&T needing to win the group to assure themselves of an automatic qualifying berth, the result meant they move to five points and cannot win the group with two matches to go. Jamaica, which started the night with six points after its loss to Curacao last week, has now moved back to the top of the group with a convincing win over Bermuda.
With five points to their credit, T&T’s senior footballers will now have to hope to be one of the two best second-place teams among the three groups to progress to an inter-confederation play-off in March next year.
A sold-out crowd greeted the T&T team, which was quite similar to what happened in the opening game between the teams in Trinidad at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, as both teams took added precaution at the start.
Kobi Henry, who was preferred for the starting position on the night, should have done better when Rio Cardines served the ball in from a free kick, and Henry, who got his first goal in the red, white, and black for T&T last week, headed it wide in the 13th minute.
Later, Kenji Gorre was sent down the left flank, and his centre was struck one time by Livano Comenencia at the top of the T&T goal area; however, he could not direct his shot on target.
However, there was no stopping the Curaçao men two minutes later. On a breakdown on the right flank, Gervane Kastaneer used his speed to go past Jerrin Jackie, but Josiah Trimmingham could not clear the ball when Kastaneer delivered the cross. It fell for Gorre to collect unmarked in the T&T goal area, and he curled it into the top right corner for the 1-0 advantage.
Later, the home team came close to increasing their advantage in the 26th minute when Gorre’s low shot crashed against the upright in the 26th minute. But less than a minute later, the T&T team responded almost immediately.
Spicer almost sprung a welcome surprise from the loose ball for the visitors. The speedy Spicer used his pace to get ahead of the Curaçao defence before his rasping shot was pushed wide by goalkeeper Eloy Room.
T&T came close again at the equaliser for a second time in the 40th minute. This time, Rio Cardines delivered a pinpoint cross for Andre Rampersad to meet on the header, but with Room beaten, the ball was eventually cleared off the goal line.
The teams went to the halftime interval with T&T 1-0, but they returned more determined in the moments that followed. And they thought they could have got the equaliser in the 53rd minute, when
Garcia could not get his header from Cardines’ right-side corner on target. But they wouldn't be denied in the 60th minute. Cardines served a ball to Molino, who had been brought into the attack at the expense of Molik Khan, to the left of the Curaçao area. And Molino pulled it back for the onrushing Spicer to hit a thunderous shot into the roof of the net for the 1-1 scoreline.
Coach Dwight Yorke signalled his intention to go into all-out attack by bringing in Wayne Fredericks II for defender Josiah Trimmingham in the 78th minute, but his team could not break the solid Curaçao defence in the end.
TEAMS CURACAO
1 Eloy Room (GK), 2 Shurandy Sambo, 3 Jurien Gaari, 5 Sherel Floranus, 7 Juninho Bacuna, 8 Livano Comenencia, 10 Leandro Bacuna (CP), 11 Jeremy Antonisse, 14 Kenji Gorre, 18 Amando Obispo, 19 Gervane Kastaneer
Subs
22 Leandro Merencia (gk), 23 Trevor Doornbusch (gk), 4 Roshon Van Eijma, 6 Godfried Roemeratoe, 9 Jurgen Locadia, 12 Sontje Hansen, 15 Ar’jany Martha, 16 Jearl Margaritha, 17 Tyrese Noslin, 20 Joshua Brenet, 21 Kevin Felida, 24 Riechedly Bazoer
TT TEAM
22 Denzil Smith (gk), 3 Kobi Henry, 4 Jerrin Jackie, 5 Josiah Trimmingham, 6 Andre Raymond, 11 Levi Garcia, 13 Tyrese Spicer, 15 Dante Sealy, 16 Molik Khan, 18 Andre Rampersad, Rio Cardines
Subs
1 Jabari Brice (gk), 21 Jabari St Hillaire (gk), 2 Deron Payne, 7 Steffen Yeates, 8 Daniel Phillips, 9 Nathaniel James, 10 Kevin Molino, 12 Isaiah Lee, 14 Wayne Frederick II, 17 Justin Garcia, 20 Real Gill, 23 Noah Powder
