WILLEMSTAD, Curacao: Antigua & Barbuda (2W-1D-0L, 7 points) captured the Group A crown in the Caribbean under-20 qualifying football finals, holding on for 3-2 win over Bermuda (1-1-1, 4) on Tuesday at the Stadion Ergilio Hato.With the result, the Benna Boys earned a place in the regional semifinals and a berth in the 2017 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship. Despite the loss, the Bermudians did the same on the goal difference tiebreaker (+1 to 0) with St. Kitts & Nevis (1-1-1, 4), which defeated Curacao (0-1-2, 1), 3-1. St. Kitts can still progress to the CONCACAF event as the team with the best third-place record.
Mohammad Hakeem (1’, 11’) led the way for Antigua against Bermuda, striking for the game’s first two goals within the opening 11 minutes. Javorn Stevens (40’) made it 3-0 five minutes before halftime, striking in a third consecutive finals outing.
Bermuda’s second-half comeback bid saw Mazhye Burchall (53’, 86’) net twice, but it wasn’t enough to alter the outcome.
Both sides completed the game with 10 players as Knory Scott (56’) and Denie Henry (59’) were ejected for Bermuda and Antigua, respectively.
In the nightcap, St. Kitts & Nevis officially eliminated host Curacao.
After Javier Sutton (23’) put the visitor ahead 1-0 at the midway point of the first half, Jeremy Cijntje (42’) leveled just three minutes before the break. Delano Hodge (67’) and Dakarai Phipps (76’) notched second-goals to propel the Sugar Boyz to victory.
The tournament resumed yesterday with the last two Group B matches. Cuba and St. Lucia will meet in the opener, followed by an encounter between already-qualified Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago.
The competition, which runs through October 30, will qualify the top five finishers to the next CONCACAF Under-20 Championship, which will be played in Costa Rica from February 17-March 5, 2017. The 12-team field also includes the host nation; Central American qualifiers El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as automatic North American entrants Canada, Mexico and the United States.