With the return of Haiti and Panama for the first time in 52 years, the tiny Caribbean nation of Curacao made history as the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup.
With a 0-0 draw against Jamaica in Kingston, the CONCACAF qualifying campaign’s final score saw Curacao, with a population of just 156, 000, advance to the next year’s finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Haiti, which last competed in the World Cup in 1974, also finished off their unlikely qualification campaign with a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua.
Ironically, due to unrest in their home country, Haiti won their decisive qualification match against Curacao.
Also read: McClaren steps down after Jamaica is excluded from the World Cup.
Panama, meanwhile, defeated El Salvador 3-0 to move into the other automatic spot on the ballot for Tuesday.
Suriname’s chances of being automatically qualified were ended by that victory. Despite being defeated 3-1 by Guatemala, Suriname remained in the playoff spots.
Curacao were left celebrating a historic result after their veteran Dutch coach, Dick Advocaat, was forced to miss the game due to a family issue in the Netherlands.
The “Blue Wave” team won Group B with 12 points from six games, one point clear of Jamaica.
Curacao are by far the smallest nation to have qualified for the World Cup, which will be expanded to 48 teams for the first time next year.
Iceland, which had a population of about 350,000 in 2018, was the previous smallest nation to qualify for the tournament.
After an extraordinary finale at Kingston’s National Stadium, where Jamaica, led by former England manager Steve McClaren, launched a furious assault as they fought for their place.
In the second half, the Jamaicans hit the woodwork three times, with substitute Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri coming incredibly close with a header that fell off the post in the 87th minute.
In stoppage time, Jamaica were given a penalty for sliding tackle on Dujuan Richards that resulted in a penalty.
Ivan Barton, a Salvadorian referee, pointed the ball home before leaving Curacao in the face of a heartbreaking defeat.
The decision was later overturned, leaving the Caribbean islanders on course for the World Cup, as the players from Curacao protested.
In a 2-0 victory over Nicaragua, Haiti secured their return to the World Cup thanks to goals from Louicius Don Deedson and Ruben Providence.
With 11 points from six games, Haiti finished second in Group C due to Honduras’ goal of 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. Suriname only managed nine points, which means Hondurana finished second in the inter-continental playoffs next year.
Only the second time in history will Haiti advance to the World Cup. Before going out in the first round, the team made its previous appearance in 1974, when they were defeated by Italy, Poland, and Argentina.
Source: Channels TV
Leave a Reply