Concacaf FIFA World Cup qualifiers resumed after two month break
Matches over the coming week will conclude Round 1
Follow all the action as it happens on the road to Qatar 2022
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifiers returned on Wednesday in the North, Central America and Caribbean region following on from March’s opening action. There were clear winners across the board with Puerto Rico and Cuba amongst the goals, while tiny Montserrat recorded their first-ever World Cup qualifying victory.
Only the group leader will progress when Round 1 concludes next Tuesday. FIFA.com reviews the action as five matches took place across the six groups.
Concacaf results (All matches)
Dominica 3-0 Anguilla
Montserrat 4-0 US Virgin Islands
Cuba 5-0 British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands 1-3 Aruba
Puerto Rico 7-0 Bahamas
There were smiles in neutral Guatemala City for Cuba as their 11-match winless run in World Cup qualifying came to a goal-laden conclusion. A four-goal second-half onslaught completed a 5-0 win over British Virgin Islands for Leones del Caribe who were in the World Cup winner’s circle for the first time since 2008.
There was an even bigger win for Puerto Rico who kick-started their hopes with a 7-0 victory in a challenging Group F alongside St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago. The result was never in doubt after the home side raced to a 4-0 lead at the break.
Montserrat ended their 21-year wait for a World Cup qualifier win with a confident 4-0 victory over US Virgin Islands. Substitute Adrian Clifton bagged a second-half double as the Emerald Boys followed up two draws to open Group A. The result pushes Montserrat – a tiny Caribbean nation of less than 5,000 inhabitants – top of the standings, but two-time World Cup finalists El Salvador are just a point adrift with a match in hand.
Elsewhere, Aruba won the battle of the cellar-dwellers in Group B with a 3-1 triumph over Cayman Islands in a match featuring two teams without a goal from their respective opening two outings. Dominica also got off the mark as three unanswered first-half goals were enough for victory over Anguilla.