MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (CMC) – Barbados conceded two second-half goals, as Honduras inflicted a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat in the CONCACAF Under-17 Boys’ Championship yesterday. Barbados sent shockwaves through the tournament, after Zari Prescod gave them the lead in the 15th minute, and they took control of the opening Group-D match for a little more than 45 minutes.
But the Barbadians muffed a number of chances before Bryan Rochez and Eder Delasquez struck in the last half-hour to give the Hondurans full points at the Catherine Hall Stadium.
Barbados, one of five Caribbean Football Union teams taking part in the tournament, face Canada in their second and final group match tomorrow at the same location, where the Hondurans face the Canadians in the final group fixture two days later.
The Young Tridents had the early momentum, and this led to the opening goal, when Prescod found himself alone in the box, and easily beat goalkeeper Roberto Lopez.
Diquan Adamson, who has benefited from the Digicel Kick Start programme with English Premier League club Sunderland, nearly doubled Barbados’ lead moments later, but fired his shot straight into the midsection of Lopez from point blank range.
Adamson also headed wide from close range a minute before Barbados went into halftime leading 1-0.
The Barbadians, however, got into trouble in the second half, when the Hondurans increased the tempo, but Adamson had the first shot, forcing a save from Lopez.
Barbados steadily allowed the Hondurans to find their feet, and Rochez made the breakthrough for the Central American side, when a well-taken free kick found him unmarked in front of the goal, and he volleyed past Barbados netminder Joshua Hynam.
The Barbadians regained their composure, and had two opportunities in the last six minutes to land an equaliser, but Jabarry Chandler, the tournament’s leading marksman, shot high from 18 yards, and Adamson was wide of the near post.
They were a few more ticks of the clock away from earning a respectable draw, but Delasquez hit an injury-time winner from a corner that drove a stake through the hearts of the CFU side.