The final matches of the March slate of the First Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 began with Guyana bouncing back from a qualification-opening defeat against Trinidad and Tobago with a 4-0 victory against the Bahamas on Tuesday 30th at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Terence Vancooten’s goal in the eighth minute was the only thing separating the teams after 45 minutes, but Guyana was able to wear down the Bahamas and take control in the second half. Kadell Daniel doubled the lead in the 54th minute, and Omari Glasgow put in the third in the 75th minute, his first goal for the Golden Jaguars. Emery Welshman then found the net in the 81st minute to cap the victory.
With the win, Guyana can hold onto hope of advancing from Group F. The Bahamas, with two defeats in March, still hang on to an outside shot but will need victories in June against Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago and have other results go their way.
Belize 5 Turks and Caicos Islands 0
Belize notched its first win of the cycle, beating Turks and Caicos Islands, 5-0. Carlos Bernardez scored just before the end of the first half and then did so again in the second with a goal in the 48th minute, widening the margin after halftime substitute Jesse August had scored in the 47th minute.
Deshawon Nembhard added a goal of his own in the 81st minute, and Deon McCaulay pounced on a rebound and put it in for a stoppage-time tally to take the final score to 5-0. Belize close out qualification against Nicaragua in June, while Turks and Caicos Islands meet Haiti.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3 British Virgin Islands 0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also found their first win of WCQ, getting a 3-0 result against the British Virgin Islands on Tuesday night. Richmond Kickers talisman Oalex Anderson got the scoring started early with a 10th-minute goal, and just 11 minutes later it was Zidane Sam getting on the score sheet.
Four minutes after coming into the match, substitute Azinho Solomon put the game out of reach for BVI and ensured the Vincy Heat victory party could begin with an 86th-minute strike.
Grenada 1 U.S. Virgin Islands 0
A 33rd-minute goal from Saydrel Lewis was the difference as Grenada beat the U.S. Virgin Islands. It’s the first victory for the Spice Boyz under the guidance of former Canada assistant Michael Findlay.
They’ll look to build on that momentum when they head to Antigua and Barbuda and close out qualification against Montserrat with Group A still anyone’s to claim. That goes for the USVI as well, though they’ll need wins against Montserrat and El Salvador and results to go their way to keep the prospect of Qatar in play.
Barbados 1 Anguilla 0
Barbados and Anguilla looked to be headed for a stalemate until the Bajan Tridents were able to take advantage of a set piece in the 81st minute. Ryan Trotman, making his first start for Russel Latapy’s men, put in the service and Emile Saimovici leapt to win the ball and head in the decisive goal of the match.
The result keeps Barbados’ hope of topping Group D in play, with a visit to the Dominican Republic and a home date with Dominica on the docket for June, while Anguilla continues WCQ play against Dominica and Panama.
Bermuda 5 Aruba 0
Bermuda earned a victory against Aruba, with Kane Crichlow scoring twice in a 5-0 victory at the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Crichlow opened and closed the scoring with goals in the 36th and 80th minutes with Jaylon Bather, Dante Leverock and Knory Scott netting in between.
Bermuda next travels to meet Suriname before closing qualification against the Cayman Islands, while Aruba plays the Cayman Islands and Canada.