Suriname register 2-1 upset win over TT

Action was in the Caribbean Cup Qualification Fifth Round Playoffs, with Haiti as the third team involved.

Suriname will tackle Haiti at the Couva venue today, from 7 pm, and a win will see them progress to the next stage – a two-legged playoff against the fifth-place team from this month’s Copa Centroamericana, for the last spot in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Under the competition format, a winner must be decided in each game (the final game will feature TT against Haiti on Sunday at Couva).

But the Tom Saintfiet-coached TT squad must hope for a Haiti victory to have a glimmer of hope of advancing to the Gold Cup.

Tyrone Charles equalised for the hosts with a magnificent freekick, in the 82nd minute, but Suriname, ranked 150th in the FIFA rankings (72 places lower than TT ), were not to be denied as Rozenblad netted in the 109th minute to record their first international win over TT since a 1-0 result on May 5 1985.

Saintfiet suffered a major blow as veteran, but injury-prone striker Cornell Glen had to be withdrawn during the pre-game warmups with a hamstring problem (he was replaced by rookie Akeem Roach), but the recently-appointed coach did not help with cause with baffling tactical decisions, especially after Kwasie broke the deadlock in the 76th.

The first half was a scrappy affair, though TT centre-back Carlyle Mitchell could have done better with a header, off Charles’ corner, in the 40th, while TT goalkeeper Adrian Foncette reacted brilliantly to deny a low right-footed shot from midfielder Mitchell Kisoor, three minutes later.

Striker Dimitrie Apai, Suriname’s lone overseas-based player (he is a member of W Connection), got a through ball from Sorencio Juliaans and, with only Foncette to beat, struck the post with a left-footed effort – 10 minutes into the second half, while Apai’s club captain Hughtun Hector (64th) and former clubmate Shahdon Winchester (75th) missed their moments to put the hosts ahead.

However, left-back Kwasie gave the visitors a deserved lead, taking a ball from Sergino Edward and, with opposing full-back and TT captain Carlos Edwards backing off, he drilled a left-footed shot which deflected off Mitchell and wrong-footed Foncette.

Charles responded with a superbly- taken freekick, from 30 metres out, which curled over the wall and flew to the top-right corner of Claidel Kohinor’s net, after substitute Shahdon Winchester was bundled over by Bruce Diporedjo.

However, Saintfiet took centre stage with his tactical moves, firstly pushing Hector from his accustomed central midfielder role to join Winchester up front, when Roach was removed in the 79th; then inserting defender Curtis Gonzales (who came on for a tiring Charles) in extra time as a right-winger.

But the most stunning were a hobbling Mitchell as a forward, a position he has not played for almost 10 years, with Edwards, Abu Bakr, Gonzales and Aubrey David in a reshuffled back-four.

With the defence at sea, Rozenblad fired home his team’s winner, from range, after getting in front of Kevan George to take a pass from Apai.