Miami (AFP) – Curacao boosted their chances of reaching the World Cup for the first time on Friday with a 2-0 victory over Jamaica in CONCACAF qualifiers. Goals from Livano Comenencia and Kenji Gorre at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad sealed a deserved victory that left the Caribbean minnows atop Group B.
Curacao are coached by veteran Dutch manager Dick Advocaat, the 78-year-old who is bidding to take a team to the World Cup for the third time after leading the Netherlands to the 1998 finals and South Korea to the 2006 tournament. Friday’s victory over Jamaica leaves Curacao top of their group with seven points from three games, one point over the second-placed Jamaicans, who have six points.
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Trinidad & Tobago are third in the group on four points after securing a comfortable 3-0 win over Bermuda on Friday. Curacao face a potentially pivotal home game against Trinidad & Tobago in their next qualifier on Tuesday. But Friday’s defeat was another blow for Jamaica coach Steve McClaren, the former England manager who is attempting to lead the Reggae Boyz back to the World Cup for only the second time.
Elsewhere on Friday, Suriname also kept their improbable qualifying campaign on track with a 1-1 draw at home to Guatemala in Group A. Darwin Lom volleyed Guatemala into the lead in the 75th minute but Suriname leveled in the fourth minute of stoppage time with a scrambled goal from Virgil Misidjan.
The result left Suriname top of the group with five points from three games, leading Panama on goal difference. Panama improved their chances of qualification with a 1-0 away win over El Salvador on Friday. With CONCACAF giants the United States, Mexico, and Canada qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as co-hosts, three more automatic berths are on offer for teams from the region.
The three group winners from the final round of qualifying will qualify for next year’s tournament, with the two best-ranked second-placed teams advancing to the inter-confederation playoff.
© 2024 AFP
