Soca Warriors beat Haiti 1-0

A 59th minute goal by defender Anton Pierre proved decisive as Trinidad and Tobago edged Haiti 1-0 at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain in the first of two friendly internationals yesterday. However, Haiti looked more like a team preparing for a World Cup campaign than the host, who will play the United States at the Oval strip next Wednesday in its first match of the CONCACAF Final Round Qualification. Time and time again the TT squad looked bereft of ideas, both in attack and defence, and the overall performance failed to impress the sparse crowd of 1,000.

In fact, the Haitians adapted better to the bone-dry surface than Trinidad and Tobago, who seemed more re-active than the pro-active visitors. Striker Stern John, who wore the captain’s armband, lobbed two defenders in the penalty area before delicately placing his shot overbar in the 22nd. Twelve minutes later, the Haitians got their first meaningful attack, with the TT defence failing to clear a left-side cross by Jemps Dorcelus but Jose Luis Seabra blocked the follow-up attempt by Jhonny Descollines. Cornell Glen, who was the lone bright spark for Trinidad and Tobago, sent a diagonal ball to Cyd Gray in the 55th but the erratic right-back blasted his shot overbar.

Four minutes later, Pierre netted the winner, drilling the indirect freekick —  which was teed-off by Densil Theobald, past the outstretched lunge of goalkeeper Luidgi Beauzile. The spotkick was awarded by referee Neal Brizan after a high-boot by Dorcelus to the face of Gray. Haiti went on the offensive, with Eliphene Cadet speeding past Pierre on the right but his attempt was blocked by TT’s goalie Clayton Ince in the 65th while Brizan drew the ire of the Haitians when he failed to award a penalty after striker Turlien Romulus went down under a heavy challenge by Avery John.

In the 75th, substitute Angus Eve, on the goal-line, cleared out a point-blank header by David Saincius, from a Mones Cherry corner, while Glen, from a Gary Glasgow’s through-ball in the 81st, saw his attempt acrobatically saved by Beauzile. Haiti muffed two opportunities in stoppage time —  a move involving Romulus and Chery saw substitute Leonel Saint Preux’s effort blocked by Ince while, in the subsequent corner by Chery, Jude Dorvil’s attempt was blocked on the line by Gray. The TT camp received additional worries with injuries to left-back Marlon Rojas (right thigh) and Stern John (right ankle) during the match. Both teams will meet again from 6 pm tomorrow at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Teams —
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Clayton Ince; Anton Pierre, Keyeno Thomas, Brent Sancho, Marlon Rojas (Avery John 66th), David Atiba Charles (Cyd Gray 46th); Anthony Rougier (Densil Theobald 53rd), Leslie Fitzpatrick (Gary Glasgow 53rd), Jose Luis Seabra (Angus Eve 39th); Stern John (capt) (Scott Sealy 73rd), Cornell Glen.
HAITI: Luidgi Beauzile; Richard Pierre Bruny (capt), David Saincius, Rooselvelt Desir (Jude Dorvil 90th), Peter Germain; Frantz Gilles, Jemps Dorcelus (Grema Barthelemy 70th), Jimmy Saint Lot (Mones Chery 70th), Eliphene Cadet (Leonel Saint Preux 84th); Jhonny Descollines (Louivens Mesidor 89th), Turlien Romulus.