KNOCKED OUT!

IT was hard luck for the Tridents as a goal in the dying minutes of their encounter against the Dominican Republic saw Barbados being knocked out of contention for a spot in the next round of the

CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers. After holding the hosts to a one-goal deficit for most of the second half at their own Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium, the Bajans were forced to split points on Friday night to see them sitting in third on the standings.

With the home team looking like the stronger team on paper due to a higher ranking, it was not evident as both teams took their time to feel each other out. Both sides took turns modestly trading blows, but it was a shot from Edarlyn Reyes that changed the entire game.

Putting the ball in on target from the right, he forced Barbados’ first choice custodian, Kishmar Primus, to get low and save. However, in denying Reyes, Primus went down strangely on his right ankle while right-back Rashad Smith fouled a player in the background of the play to gift the hosts a penalty.

With Primus unable to continue, 20-year-old Liam Brathwaite was thrown in at the deep end with his first assignment being facing a penalty from Ronaldo Vásquez and duly denying him in the 34th minute with a well-judged dive to the left. After rocking the hosts’ foundations by stealing the best chance at goal from them, the next thing to do was to score and the Tridents did not disappoint. Niall Reid-Stephen, one of seven Under-20 players named in the squad to the DR, had been active in the final third for most of the game and sent a lovely left-booted shot through traffic from a sharp angle to beat Rafael Díaz at his near post in the 42nd.

With light showers coming in before the end of the first half, it was an outright downpour in the first few minutes of the second. Maybe it was the rain coupled with the one-nil advantage and whatever Coach Russell Latapy said to the squad during the break, but the Tridents came back to the game playing with a purpose and focus not seen in some time. Every play was a confident one as the lower-ranked visitors kept the home team frustrated as they cut out every opportunity.

DR Coach Jacques Passy began to make some moves, making three substitutions in the space of 20 minutes and another two within the last 20 minutes of the game as he searched for an answer to the solid formation of the Tridents. Brathwaite also came up big on the night with a few strong saves to further frustrate Passy’s men. Latapy made two changes of his own, switching out Reid-Stephen and Emile Saimovici for Romario Drakes and Thierry Gale.

Gale found himself in one-on-one situations with Díaz in the 70th and 79th but allowed both chances to go a-begging, while Los Quisqueyanos, as they are also known, came close to scoring in the 87th as well as a deflected shot had Brathwaite beat but came off the upright. With five minutes added for injuries, the hosts became desperate for a bit of magic and found it through Manny Rodriguez in the 90+3rd minute to force the draw.