Cuba stomp Soca Warriors 3-1

CUBA, with two second half goals, whipped Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, yesterday to win the Caribbean Zone Group “B” CFU/CONCACAF series.

By virtue of the victory they earn automatic qualification to the CONCACAF Gold Cup football finals in the United States and Mexico in July. Trinidad and Tobago are now left to battle with the runners-up of Group “A” being contested in Jamaica and an Honduran (Central Zone) fourth-placed team  for a spot in the Gold Cup. The top two from this three-team series will qualify. Stern John gave Trinidad and Tobago the start they wanted, when he rose above the Cuban defence to head home a left side corner kick in the 18th minute. But the Cubans drew level in the 26th minute when Jorge Ramirez raced down the right and hit a rising shot from approximately 25 metres into the roof of goalkeeper Selwyn George’s net. After this equaliser, there was end-to-end action as the teams battled for the ascendency.

Trinidad and Tobago should have regained the lead in the 34th minute, but midfielder Hayden Fitzwilliams, after dribbling through the Cuba defence, with only goalkeeper Alexis Reve to beat, shot wide and the half-time interval found the scores deadlocked. Cuba stunned the steelband side’s rhythm section and drummers into silence when from a clever defence-splitting pass by Ramirez, Lester More easily beat George to give his team a 2-1 lead. Trinidad and Tobago threw everything into attack in search of an equaliser, but Reve saved brilliantly from a shot on the turn by Jason Scotland. And when Maykel Galindo lashed home the third in the 82nd minute, it was the beginning of the end for Trinidad and Tobago. John did outfox the Cuban defence and rifled in a shot in the 88th minute which beat goalkeeper Reve, but to his dismay, what would have been only a consolation, the ball struck an upright and rebounded into play to be cleared.