Grenada (seven points) kept faint hopes alive of advancing to the final round of Concacaf qualifying towards the Fifa 2026 World Cup when they got an exciting 3-2 comeback win over St Kitts and Nevis at the Warner Park Football Stadium, St Kitts and Nevis on June 10.
Needing a victory to go level on points with group B’s second-placed team Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada fell behind in the 34th minute when opposing attacker Tyreece Simpson scored with a precise left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
The Grenadians found their footing in the second half, though, and a brilliant finish from Regan Charles-Cook in the 49th minute, to go along with items from Jermaine Francis and Darius Johnson, saw them opening up a 3-1 lead. Pushing for a fourth goal, Grenada gave up a soft goal at the other end when Romaine Sawyers scored from close range after goalkeeper Chad Phillip parried a shot into his path.
Group B will come to an intriguing conclusion tonight in San Jose when the Soca Warriors (seven points) play group leaders Costa Rica (nine points) from 9 pm. Grenada have a goal difference of +4, while TT boast a healthy goal difference of +10 after their big 6-2 win over St Kitts and Nevis at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on June 6. For coach Dwight Yorke’s team, the task is a simple one as they will advance to the final round once they avoid defeat by seven or more goals against “Los Ticos.”
In his pre-game presser on June 9, Yorke said he wanted his team to show defensive improvements.
“We’re a team which seems to be a reactive team and not a proactive team…we always seem to concede and then have to go after teams to try and win a game. Even though we’re getting better in those areas, these are the kind of games we have to try and have a clean sheet in terms of trying to win a game,” Yorke said.
“It’s an area we’re trying to improve in. We know there’s a lot of work to be done in that area.”
In this campaign, the Costa Rican team has shown they have goals in them, as they have scored 15 without conceding – including a massive 8-0 victory over the cellar-placed Bahamas on June 7.
On the team’s last visit to San Jose during the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in 2017, TT lost 2-1 with current skipper Kevin Molino scoring the lone item.
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
