T&T on the way out after latest defeat

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC): TRINIDAD AND Tobago drifted closer to elimination from the CONCACAF final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers when they conceded two early first-half goals to plunge to a 2-1 defeat to Honduras here Friday night.

Playing at the Ato Boldon Stadium, the hosts started poorly to concede twice in the first quarter of an hour through Alex Lopez and Alberth Elis, and never managed to find their way back despite Joevin Jones’s second half penalty.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the second half after having a player each sent off.

MATHEMATICAL MIRACLE

The result was T&T’s sixth loss in seven games and it left them bottom of the six-nation standing on three points, needing a mathematical miracle to finish in the top four and keep alive their World Cup qualification hopes.

“In the first half we were poor – poor, poor in the first half. It’s not what I expected, it’s not what anyone expected,” T&T head coach Dennis Lawrence lamented afterwards.

“I don’t understand exactly what happened to the boys. I don’t know if the occasion got to them, but it wasn’t the first half we expected. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”

T&T, though, could have been on the scoresheet as early as the third minute but Cordell Cato’s firm drive was palmed away by goalkeeper Luis Lopez.

Things fell apart for the hosts thereafter, as they conceded twice to be down 2-0 at half-time, leaving themselves with too much to do to get back into the contest.