MIAMI, United States, CMC – United States-based forward Trevin Caesar netted a second-half brace as Trinidad and Tobago crushed St Vincent and the Grenadines 6-0 in the return leg of their fourth round CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tie in Port of Spain last night.
The 26-year-old, who campaigns in the United Soccer League, struck in the space of four minutes nearing the end of the game, to put the cap on a dominant T&T performance at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in the Group C encounter.
Sheldon Bateau opened the scoring in the 36th minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at half-time before Joevin Jones added the second goal in the four minutes after resumption.
Captain Kenwyne Jones netted T&T’s third in the 60th and Kevin Molino pumped in the fourth six minutes later, paving the way for Caesar’s double in the 86th and the 89th minutes.
There was no such enterprise for Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat to Costa Rica away in San Jose in Group B.
In the same group, Haiti’s misery continued when they lost 1-0 to Panama in Panama City.
The emphatic victory put T&T firmly at the top of Group C with ten points, with the United States second on seven and Guatemala third on six.
SVG, without a point from four games, have been eliminated.
The Reggae Boyz are third with four points in Group B, with Costa Rica top with ten and Panama second on seven points. Haiti lie bottom with a single point. Carrying the momentum from their 3-2 victory in Kingstown on Good Friday, T&T hardly put a foot wrong in the contest.
After a goalless opening half-hour, the game came to life when Joevin Jones forced a save out of goalkeeper Lemus Christopher, only for Bateau to tuck home the rebound.
Joevin Jones added the second in the 49th with a lovely solo effort and his namesake Kenwyne produced a clinical finish from close range after being set up by Khaleem Hyland.
The game was then over as a serious contest when Kenwyne Jones, who was guilty of squandering a few chances on the night, fed Molino who buried his shot at the far post.
Major League Soccer star Oalex Anderson came closest for the SVG when he struck the post with a rasping drive.
However, Caesar replaced Molino in the 70th minute, to heap more misery on the visitors.
At the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose, Jamaica were behind through Celso Borges’s seventh minute strike while veteran Bryan Ruiz added the hosts’ second, eight minutes before half-time.
Jamaica failed to find a response and MLS star Johan Venegas put the finishing touches on Costa Rica’s win with a 76th minute strike.
