Celso Borges scored two second-half goals and lifted Costa Rica to a 3-2 victory over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday, giving the Ticos command of the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Borges, who scored in the 13th minute Wednesday night in San Jose in a 3-1 victory over the United States, scored in the 52nd and 69th minutes, to give Costa Rica 12 points atop the standings as the final round of qualifying reached its midpoint.

Three of the six teams will qualify automatically for the 32-team field in South Africa with the fourth-place finisher entering a playoff with the fifth-place finisher from South America for the last berth.

Borges’ first goal gave Costa Rica a 2-1 lead before second-half substitute Collin Samuel equalized in the 63rd. Borges then restored the advantage, finishing unmarked from the middle of the penalty after Pablo Herrera drove a cross from the right side through the box.

Trinidad, playing its first game under player-coach Russell Latapy who replaced Francisco Maturana in April, remained with two points after four games and precariously in last place.

Trinidad started quickly, dominating the first 15 minutes before a home crowd in Dwight Yorke Stadium and taking the lead in the 30th minute when Gonzalo Segares gave away a free kick 35 yards from goals and Carlos Edwards drove a right-footed ball past an apparently misplaced wall. The shot was well left of the wall, skipped twice and entered just inside the left post past slowly reacting Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas.

Costa Rica reacted by testing Clayton Ince two minutes later, forcing the Trinidad keeper to tip Alvaro Saborio’s header over the bar.

But Saborio converted in the 41st, appearing to mis-hit a cross by Esteban Sirias by missing with his right leg but deflecting it inadvertently with his right thigh, dribbling it between Ince and the far post.

Borges capitalized on a Trinidad mistake to put Costa Rica ahead in the 52nd, reacting to Dennis Lawrence’s attempted headed clearance. Lawrence cleared the ball up the middle, where Borges ran on and drove a ball from inside the area.

Samuel, who replaced Hayden Tinto to start the second half, restored the life to the crowd in the 63rd. Kenwyne Jones had the ball at the top of the area before Segares forced the ball wide, where Samuel ran on and drove a ball that Navas was able to partially block, but not stop from bouncing into the goal.

Costa Rica next will enter the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July before returning to World Cup qualifying in August. Trinidad must travel to Mexico on Wednesday to face an opponent it has only beaten three times in 15 matches.

TEAMS

Trinidad & Tobago: 1.Clayton Ince, 11.Carlos Edwards, 4.Marvin Andrews, 6.Dennis Lawrence, 3.Avery John, 10.Hayden Tinto (14.Collin Samuel 46th), 17.Dwight Yorke (capt), 8.Trent Noel, 16.Silvio Spann (13.Cornell Glen 60th), 20.Jason Scotland (7.Christopher Birchall 73rd), 15.Kenwyne Jones.

T&T Subs Not Used: 2.Makan Hislop, 19.Keon Daniel, 5.Keyeno Thomas, 21.Marvin Phillip.

T&T Head Coach: Russell Latapy.

Costa Rica: 1.Keilor Navas, 13.Gonzalo Segares, 15.Dennis Marshall, 17.Pablo Brenes, 4.Michael Umana, 10.Walter Centeno (capt), 5.Celso Borges, 2.Esteban Sirias (16.Esteban Granados 84th), 11.Bryan Ruiz (6.Cristian Bolanos 51st), 9.Alvaro Saborio, 7.Andy Herron (14.Armando Alonso 62nd).

Costa Rica Subs Not Used: 18.Ricardo Gonzalez, 3.Freddy Fernandez, 12.Andy Furtado.

Costa Rica Head Coach: Rodrigo Kenton.

Warriors go under 3-2.
By: Ian Prescott (T&T Express).

COSTA RICA DENY T&T

It was a case of what might have been.

Coach Russell Latapy's first match in charge brought back excitement to Trinidad and Tobago football, but still ended with a 3-2 defeat to Costa Rica in yesterday's 2010 World Cup qualifier at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Tobago.

It must have been a bittersweet night for Latapy. Sweet first, when his team were leading, and then the ultimate disappointment of defeat.

All that might have changed had the Soca Warriors taken the many chances they had. Trent Noel had two in the first half alone, including once striking the post before Costa Rica had pulled level for the first time. And in the 61st, Jason Scotland turned his marker and delivered only disappointment when his low shot went straight at the Costa Rican keeper.

Still, Latapy did bring some promise to the national team in his debut as head coach.

Marvin Andrews returned and played like a Trojan at the back and Silvio Spann certainly looked the part on his return to central midfield. Likewise, Hayden Tinto was lively when asked to play a role in right midfield and Kenywne Jone showed up for the first time in the qualifying campaign by putting in a hard-working performance.

But, "Latas" also appeared to have made the detrimental flaw of sacrificing some steel in midfield with the dropping of Chris Birchall. Captain Dwight Yorke simply did not cut it and looked every inch a man who had not played football for a long time.

Latapy's response was to substitute the players around Yorke and keep faith in his non-performing captain. Earlier on, it was the stuff of dreams and the fairy tale beginning which the new head coach had hoped for.

Trinidad and Tobago dominated the early exchanges before taking a deserved lead in the 30th minute.

For Carlos Edwards it must have been so sweet when his skimming free-kick slid on the moist surface and beat the dive of Costa Rica keeper Keilor Navas at the far corner.

Edwards went racing towards his teammates and at the same time the Dwight Yorke Stadium erupted in elation. And had Noel converted his chances soon after, the game might have been over early.

But, there was always the dangerous element to Costa Rica. They had threatened to score when T&T keeper Clayton Ince palmed away Dennis Marshall's low cross over the face of his goal and the visitors were level when a defensive breakdown ended with striker Sirias Sobrios heading the ball into goal in the 42nd and it was 1-1 at the half.

After again starting strongly in the second half, two more defensive errors gave Celso Borges a brace which won the match for CONCACAF group leaders Costa Rica.

The breakdown often started in the middle where Yorke was a non-entity. But it was central defender Dennis Lawrence, another of the night's non-performers, who allowed Costa Rica their first lead in the 52nd minute when his poor clearance gave Borges a free shot at keeper Ince.

But in the 61st, T&T were level again at 2-2 when second half substitute Collin Samuel forced in a low shot after picking up Jason Scotland's rebound.

Once again, the fans at the Dwight Yorke Stadium were buoyant and singing in the rain. That was until weak defensive work again saw Borges picked out free in the penalty area and he banged the ball into the net in the 69th to win the match for the visitors. Trinidad and Tobago now head to Mexico City where they play Mexico in another qualifier on Wednesday.

TEAMS:

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: 1-Clayton Ince, 3-Avery John, 16-Silvio Spann, 6-Dennis Lawrence, 4-Marvin Andrews, 8-Trent Noel, 10-Hayden Tinto, 11-Carlos Edwards, 15-Kenwyne Jones, 12-Jason Scotland, 17-Dwight Yorke (Captain).

SUBS: 18-Marvin Phillip, 2-Makan Hislop, 5-Keyeno Thomas, 7-Chris Birchall, 9-Keon Daniel, 13-Cornell Glen, 14-Collin Samuel.

COSTA RICA: 1-Keilor Navas, 2-Esteban Aviles, 4-Michael Umama, 5-Celso Borges, 10- Walter Centeno (Captain), 11-Bryan Ruiz, 13-Gonzalo Segares, 15-Dennis Marshall, 17-Pablo Herrera.

SUBS: 3-Pablo Brentes, 6-Christian Bolano, 8-Oscar Granados, 12-Andy Furtado, 14-Amando Alonzo, 16-Carlos Hernandez, 17-Pablo Herrera.

Costa Ricans tame Warriors in Tobago.
By: Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian).

Two second half goals from Celso Borges secured a 3-2 come-from-behind win for Costa Rica over the T&T Soca Warriors, in a 2010 Concacaf World Cup Qualifier at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet yesterday. The win for the Costa Ricans, following their 3-1 whipping of USA on Wednesday in San Jose, improved their points tally to 12 to put them within touching distance of the Fifa finals in South Africa next year.

On the other hand, the defeat left the Soca Warriors at the bottom of the six-team group with only two points after four matches and on the brink of elimination from securing an automatic spot in the group that goes to the top three qualifiers from the Concacaf region. The fourth place finisher in Concacaf will meet the South American fifth place finisher in a home-and-away playoff for a World Cup place also. But early in Bacolet, coach Latapy who was making his debut as national team coach after a glittering playing career, looked set to get the fairytale win he had hoped for.

In the 30th minute, T&T finally broke the deadlock when, from a free-kick won by Jones, Edwards hammered home a right-footer from about 35 yards that raced across the slick grass and into the bottom right corner of the goal past the dive of Navas. Ince then redeemed himself when he tipped over a goalbound header from Saborio to maintain his team’s lead in the match. Trent Noel should have doubled T&T’s lead in the 35th minute when he reacted quickly to an attempt from Jones that was blocked by the Costa Rica defence. But with goalkeeper Navas already on the surface he blasted wide of the target.

Four minutes from the interval, it was T&T’s turn to pay for their missed chances as Saborio was on spot to turn in a weak cross from Sirias to silence the T&T crowd. The visitors almost went 2-1 ahead a minute before the interval as an overlapping Pablo Herrera was put through one-on-one with Ince by captain, Walter Centeno however he fired wide off the target with defender Marvin Andrews applying some late pressure. T&T players Jason Scotland and Noel then came close to giving their team the lead at the break, with the latter blasting a left-footer onto the left post from an acute angle after Navas failed to deal with a long range effort from Silvio Spann.

Within seven minutes of the restart, Costa Rica went ahead when a weak headed clearance by lanky T&T defender Dennis Lawrence went straight to Borges at the top of the penalty-area. After taking two touches on the ball, Borges coolly fired into the bottom left side of the goal past the outstretched dive of Ince. T&T now needed two goals to win the match, and they got one in the 60th minute when substitute Cornell Glen, who replaced Silvio Spann in the 60th minute, teamed up with fellow sub, Collin Samuel who fired into the far corner of the goal despite Navas getting his fingers to it.

But all T&T’s hard work was undone in the 68th minute as Borges was on spot to tap home after the Costa Ricans literally walked through the right  side of the Soca Warriors defence to put his team back infront at 3-2. The visitors held on until the final whistle to improve its impressive record against T&T to 13 Concacaf World Cup qualifying matches without defeat, including four wins from six matches in T&T. The T&T squad is expected to leave for Mexico today ahead of Wednesday’s qualifier at the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City.