BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – England-based striker Rowan Liburd netted a superb hat-trick to fire St Kitts and Nevis to their first win of the CONCACAF Nations League with a 4-0 blanking of Belize here Thursday night.
In a Group A contest in League B at Isidoro Beaton Stadium, the 27-year-old scored all three goals in the second half in the space of 15 minutes, to add to Omari Sterling-James’ first-half strike.
The victory followed a defeat to Grenada and a draw with French Guiana last month which had left them with just a single point, and third in the four-nation group.
Unbeaten Grenada (7 points) and French Guiana (5), who played to a nil-all draw in Cayenne also on Thursday, remain first and second respectively while St Kitts moved up to four points.
Belize remained bottom with three defeats in as many outings.
St Kitts dominated from the outset when Sterling-James, who plays for Mansfield Town in English League Two, produced a clinical finish in the 12th minute.
Belize managed to deny St Kitts any further goals before the break but afterwards could not prevent Liburd doubling the visitors’ advantage from the penalty spot in the 48th minute.
Eight minutes later, Liburd was on hand again to convert a cross and put St Kitts up 3-0.
Liburd, who plays for Hereford in the National League North, fittingly completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute to further demoralise Belize.
