The Barbados Senior Men’s football team made a triumphant start in the Concacaf Nations League, edging out The Bahamas 3-2 in a thrilling encounter yesterday at the Bethlehem Soccer Complex in St Croix, United States Virgin Islands. This victory sees Barbados top Group A in League C, marking a significant step in their pursuit of promotion back to League B.
Barbados, under the guidance of head coach Kent Hall, secured three vital points in their first meeting with The Bahamas in two years. Reflecting on the match, Hall noted the importance of the win for his squad, saying, “In the end, I think we got the result that we deserved on the balance of play. It proved to be a difficult match for us, though, so we need to analyse our play and get back on the training pitch to tidy up some things.”
The match got off to an electrifying start for the Tridents when striker Zachary Applewhite unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot into the bottom right corner, giving Barbados an early lead in the 10th minute. However, The Bahamas responded through Brandon Adderley, who scored twice — once just before halftime in the 42nd minute and again in the 65th — to shift the momentum in favour of the visitors.
Despite the setback, Hall praised his players’ resilience, saying, “I never got a sense they lost belief today. We showed a lot of character, and we saw a team that wants to fight and who are proud to represent the nation.”
Barbados’ fightback was led by midfielder Ethan Taylor, who was making only his second appearance for the national team. Taylor levelled the score in the 80th minute, netting his first international goal in the process. Just two minutes later, captain Andre Applewhaite sealed the victory with a right-footed shot into the top right corner, sending the Tridents to the top of the table.
“This win is an important step for us; it was really important for us to feel a victory as a team again, and I’m super pleased about that,” Hall added. “Now we need to ‘dot our i’s and cross our t’s’ to get ourselves ready to take on USVI on Tuesday.”
This victory was Barbados’ first in competitive football since last March when the Tridents beat Antigua 2-1, thanks to goals from Thierry Gale and Tajio James.
With momentum on their side, the Tridents now turn their attention to their next match against the US Virgin Islands on September 10. (JC)
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