Nathaniel "Natty" James for a second time was the saviour for T&T.

The young striker, coming in as a second-half substitute for Ryan Telfer, stepped up from a free kick atop the Guatemalan box and curled the ball over the Guatemalan wall and past goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen for the 3-2 victory in the Concacaf Nations League 'A' match at the Hasley Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo in Port-of-Spain on Friday night.

The win pushed T&T to nine points in Group A and literally gave them a foot into the quarterfinals.

Guatemala drew first blood in the 12th minute from one of their many attacks down the left flank.

A well-floated pass found an unmarked Nathaniel Mendez on the right side of the T&T area, and despite being confronted by Ross Russell Jr, the lanky Mendez cut inside and hit a shot inside that was stabbed in the goal by a lurking Rubio Mendez for a 1-0 advantage.

The goal lifted the visitors who later sought to increase their attacks. However, the Warriors were hit harder when lone striker Tyrone Charles had to be stretched off the field when he got a knock in the centre of the field.

Mendez almost scored another to increase the Guatemala lead from a defensive blunder that handed him the ball on top of the T&T area, however, his rasping shot was pushed wide by a flying Denzil Smith in the 27th minute.

But he could do nothing in the 31st minute as the visitors pushed their tally to two. This time Alejandro Galindo was given room on the right side, and then lifted the ball inside to Oscar Santis whose one-time shot came off the body of Alvin Jones. However, Santis was given another shot at goal, and scored that time, as the ball crashed against the upright before going into the goal.

In the fluctuating affair, T&T came close when Noah Power, fed on the left by Michel Poon Angeron, would cut inside on his right foot, but his shot took a deflection before going wide.

T&T then sought redemption from a build-up down the left that was shifted to Powder on the right side.

Powder confronted by his marker was hacked down inside the box, forcing the referee to point to the penalty spot in the 34th minute.

Alvin Jones then smashed the ball into the roof of the net for T&T's opening goal.

Substitute Reon Moore was guilty of an easily missed chance in the six-yard box before the Guatemalans escaped at the halfway stage with a 2-1 advantage.

However, when the teams returned to the pitch, the Warriors, spurred on by the crowd, would get the equaliser.

This time the Guatemalan defence failed to clear the ball from Ryan Telfer's left-side corner, and Moore swooped in to turn in the loose ball in the 53rd minute.

Both teams traded punches in the moments that followed but it was the Warriors that escaped with the victory.

CRÓNICA | Guatemala vuelve a vivir una pesadilla en Trinidad y Tobago - Los chapines ganaban por dos goles, pero por desconcentraciones dejaron ir el resultado para terminar perdiendo por 3-2. La selección de Trinidad & Tobago recibió a Guatemala en Puerto España, por la Tercera Fecha del grupo A de la Nations League, en un juego que era crucial para los chapines de seguir con aspiraciones de … Sigue leyendo.

Results

T&T 3 (Alvin Jones 34th penalty, Reon Moore 54th, Nathaniel James 89th) vs Guatemala 2 (Rubio Mendez 12th, Oscar Santis 31st

Teams

Trinidad and Tobago (4-3-3): 22.Denzil Smith (GK) (1.Christopher Biggette (GK) 77); 16.Alvin Jones, 2.Aubrey David (captain), 17.Justin Garcia, 3.Ross Russell Jr; 15.Neveal Hackshaw, 14.Michel-Poon-Angeron (10.Duane Muckette 79), 18.Andre Rampersad; 7.Ryan Telfer (9.Nathaniel James 79), 19.Tyrone Charles (13.Reon Moore 19), 8.Noah Powder (20.Kaïlé Auvray 60).

Unused substitutes: 21.Jabari St Hillaire (GK), 4.Jesse Williams, 5.Kevon Goddard, 6.Andre Raymond, 11.Real Gill, 12.Kareem Moses, 23.Kristian Lee Him.

Coach: Angus Eve

Cards

Justin Garcia (Yellow Card)
Aubrey David (Yellow Card)
Noah Powder (Yellow Card)
Ryan Telfer (Yellow Card)
Nathaniel James (Yellow Card)

Guatemala: (4-2-1-3): 1.Nicholas Hagen (GK); 22.Stheven Robles, 4.Jose Pinto (captain), 3.Nicolas Samayoa, 2.Jose Ardon; 17.Oscar Castellanos (14.Darwin Lom 89), 23.Jorge Aparicio; 13.Alejandro Galindo; 11.Nathaniel Mendez (19.Robin Betancourth 85), 9.Rubio Mendez, 18.Oscar Santis (10.Esteban Garcia 65).

Unused substitutes: 12.Ricardo Jerez (GK), 21.Fredy Perez (GK), 5.Pedro Altan, 6.Kevin Ruiz, 7.Cristian Jimenez, 8.Rodrigo Saravia, 15.Jose Rosales, 16.Jose Morales, 20.Gerardo Gordillo.

Coach: Luis Tena

Cards

Stheven Robles (Yellow Card)
Esteban García (Yellow Card)

Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador)

WATCH Highlights | Trinidad & Tobago vs Guatemala | 2023/24 Concacaf Nations League

Concacaf Nations League Standings

TEAM   GP   W   D   L   GD   P
Trinidad and Tobago   3   3   0   0   +3   9
Panama   3   2   1   0   +4   7
Martinique   3   2   0   1   -1   6
Guatemala   3   1   1   1   +1   4
Curacao   3   0   0   3   -3   0
El Salvador   3   0   0   3   -4   0

Stats

TRI vs GUA
45.2% Possession 54.8
5 Shots on Goal 11
10 Shot Attempts 24
5 Corner Kicks 14
10 Saves 2

RELATED NEWS

Eve salutes Soca Warriors heroes.
By Nigel Simon (T&T Guardian).

T&T Soca Warriors coach Angus Eve was full of praise for his players whom he described as heroes following a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind 3-2 win over Guatemala in League A Group A of the 2023 Concacaf Nations League at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo on Friday night.

With the win in front of a crowd estimated around 7,000 spectators, T&T stayed in first place in the five-team round-robin group with a 3-0 record and a maximum of nine points, two ahead of Panama who edged Curacao 2-1 also on Friday, while Guatemala remain in fourth-place with four points, two points behind Martinique who had a 1-0 win over El Salvador.

It was a dream start for Guatemala, as Rubio Rubin who looked clearly off struck for the opener in the 12th minute by touching home a shot right in front of a goal off a pass from Nathaniel Mendez for a 1-0 Guatemala lead.

Guatemala doubled their lead to 2-0 in the 32nd when an initial attempt from Oscar Santis was blocked by Alvin Jones, but Santis’ follow-up attempt was smashed off the post and in for the goal.

But T&T responded to narrow the gap to 2-1 in the 35th when Alvin Jones converted a penalty after Noah Powder had been fouled in the area two minutes prior.

Nine minutes into the second half, T&T drew level when a Neveal Hackshaw header was saved by Guatemala goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen, but Reon Moore was on the spot to stab home the rebound.

The visitors came close to retaking the lead on three occasions with the closest being in the 70th via Jose Pinto’s header that hit the crossbar and dropped onto the goal-line before being cleared, followed by another chance from Jose Ardon, which substitute goalkeeper Christopher Biggette who replaced an injured Denzil Smith managed to tip around the top right-hand corner of the goal.

However, for the second match on home soil, substitute Nathaniel James, who had come off the bench to replace Ryan Telfer in the 79th followed up his heroics from scoring the winner late against Curacao, with a gem of a left-footed free-kick that left Hagen stranded on his line to deliver the 3-2 victory.

Speaking after the win, the 51-year-old Eve said, “I think we had a lot of heroes in the park today (Friday). Denzil (Smith) went into the game with a bad feeling.

Eve, a former Defence Force standout explained that, “Today (Friday) is actually his birthday, and I thought he did tremendous for us, up to the time he couldn’t go anymore, and we saw Christopher Biggette come on and it didn’t look like we were missing Denzil at all, cause he (Biggette) came on and played great as well as Denzil. And everybody who came on, Nathaniel James, and everybody who started the game, so credit to the players, because some time ago we would not have been able to come back from two-nil in the 17th minute, but credit to the players, and to the rest of the staff, who has been working very hard so that we can go and have these kind of days in our football again.”

Reflecting on what he told his players at the half-time whistle at 0-2 down, Eve said, “When we went back in, we thought we were giving them a bit too much respect, with the two wingbacks and two center-backs and we also thought the two strikers were not quick enough to harass our center-backs. So we went man-for-man throughout the park, and that’s when we changed and put high pressure.”

Looking back at the opening half, Eve said, “As a team, we were composed, but we thought one of the goals was offside from where the guys were. But then again, I don’t know as yet, so we’ll take a look at the tapes when we do. But we gave away two soft goals, I thought. But we were not brave enough. In the second half, when we came out more brave, you saw us really dominate for the most part. And then it’s normal when you score a goal and go on top. They peg us back a bit and they were hitting long balls, nothing really to threaten, and we were playing counteract at that point in time. But the guys played about 100 mins tonight, kept their concentration, and came out with a game. I tell you if we had played this game a couple of months ago, we wouldn’t have come back in this game, so credit to the players.”

With regards to his players on the night a satisfied Eve stated, “Everybody did their jobs. Nathaniel, this is not his first game. We put him on and he had that sort of impact. Muckette (Duane) was steady again. Reon Moore was excellent up front, Kaile Auvray, he added. We thought we would start with the more solid players, the more physical players, wear them down and then unleash these players for the last 30 minutes. It worked as a treat. The plan was never to be down two nil, but you saw the fight of this team and the character, and that is what we’ve been portraying this tournament thus far.”

The T&T coach and former FIFA Under-20 World Cup player added, “We are getting chances. If you are not getting chances, then you want to panic. We had no panic because we had these opportunities, and we always created opportunities throughout the match.

“So you know, you panic when you’re not creating opportunities, but we were creating, and I thought that the game plan worked.

“We wanted to pass more, we wanted to play more, and we did that. We knew that we wanted to put on Kaile and we knew we had to put on Nathaniel.

However, the T&T coach did admit to some incident that’s kind of thrown off the game plans with Tyron Charles’ substitution throwing off the team a bit, as well as goalkeeper Smith being injured.

In terms of the general play of the team and its fighting spirit to come from behind for the second straight match, Eve, a former T&T captain and most-capped player Eve added, “As I said previously, we needed to build the character of the team first and then you could start to institute play. I think we played really good football today (Friday), we moved the ball well.

Commenting on the support Eve said, “I think, once you do it well in Trinidad, people come out. Once you win, they come out. We thank them for that. The boys appreciated the support. They saw what the fans did for them. When we scored the goal, you saw Noah Powder cheering up the fans and the crowd came on board with him and they started the wave. Things that we remember used to happen. Yes, the crowd support was instrumental and giving the guys the 12th man”

Looking ahead to his team’s final match on Tuesday away to Curacao at the Ergilio Hato Stadium, in Willemstad from 9 pm where T&T only needs a point to be certain of a top-two finish and a spot in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal and the chance to qualify for the 16-team 2024 Copa America Eve said a few changes are expected.

“We going to give some players a run-out. We’re sure Denzil can’t play because his finger seems a little more deteriorated but we have some time, so we’ll definitely rest him. We’ll change up the squad a bit and allow the other players to get an opportunity to because, as you know, every window is a competition match, so we’ll take this opportunity to play some of the other players.”

The teams already qualified for the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals are the top four seeded teams: USA, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica.

The winners of the four quarterfinal match-ups not only will advance to the Concacaf Nations League Finals in March but will also qualify for the 2024 Copa America, while the defeated teams from the quarterfinals will meet in a pair of play-in matches to determine the final two spots in the 2024 Copa America.

Friday’s Group A Result

T&T 3 (Alvin Jones 36th pen, Reon Moore 54th, Nathaniel James 89th) vs Guatemala 2 (Rubio Mendez 12th, Oscar Santis 31st)

Group A

Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
T&T*3*3*0*0*7*4*9
Panama*3*2*1*0*6*2*7
Martinique*3*2*0*1*2*3*6
Guatemala*3*1*1*1*5*4*4
Curacao*3*0*0*3*1*4*0
El Salvador*3*0*0*3*2*6*0

Group B

Teams*P*W*D*L*F*A*Pts
Jamaic*3*2*1*0*7*3*7
Cuba*3*1*2*0*1*0*5
Honduras*3*1*1*1*4*1*4
Haiti*3*0*3*0*3*3*3
Suriname*3*0*2*1*2*3*2
Grenada*3*0*1*2*2*9*1

Upcoming matches

Today

Group B

Haiti vs Jamaica @ Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, 8 pm

Honduras vs Cuba @ Estadio Chelato Ucles, Honduras, 8 pm

Suriname vs Haiti, Dr Ir, Franklin Essed Stadium, Suriname, 8 pm

On Tuesday

Panama vs Guatemala @ Estadio Rommel Fernandez, 9 pm

El Salvador vs Martinique @ Nacional Jorge Magico Gonzalez, 9 pm

Curacao vs T&T @ Ergilio Hato Stadium, Willemstad, Curacao, 9 pm

ESPN Match Commentary
-
Match ends, Trinidad and Tobago 3, Guatemala 2.
90'+12'
Second Half ends, Trinidad and Tobago 3, Guatemala 2.
90'+11'
Nathaniel James (Trinidad and Tobago) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
90'+11'
José Ardón (Guatemala) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90'+11'
Foul by Nathaniel James (Trinidad and Tobago).
90'+9'
Attempt saved. José Pinto (Guatemala) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by José Ardón with a cross.
90'+7'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Alvin Jones.
90'+6'
Neveal Hackshaw (Trinidad and Tobago) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90'+6'
Foul by José Ardón (Guatemala).
90'+5'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Alvin Jones.
90'+5'
Attempt missed. Darwin Lom (Guatemala) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Pedro Altán with a cross.
90'+5'
Attempt blocked. Esteban García (Guatemala) header from the left side of the six yard box is blocked.
90'+3'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Justin García.
90'+3'
Attempt blocked. Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Robin Betancourth.
90'+3'
Attempt saved. Darwin Lom (Guatemala) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
90'+2'
Substitution, Guatemala. Darwin Lom replaces Óscar Castellanos.
90'+1'
Substitution, Guatemala. Rodrigo Saravia replaces Jorge Aparicio.
89'
Goal! Trinidad and Tobago 3, Guatemala 2. Nathaniel James (Trinidad and Tobago) from a free kick with a left footed shot to the top right corner.
88'
Esteban García (Guatemala) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
88'
Neveal Hackshaw (Trinidad and Tobago) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
88'
Foul by Esteban García (Guatemala).
87'
Attempt saved. Óscar Castellanos (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by José Ardón.
86'
Substitution, Guatemala. Robin Betancourth replaces Nathaniel Méndez-Laing.
86'
Attempt blocked. Óscar Castellanos (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
85'
Nicolás Samayoa (Guatemala) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
85'
Foul by Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago).
84'
Pedro Altán (Guatemala) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
84'
Foul by Ross Russell Jr. (Trinidad and Tobago).
83'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Christopher Biggette.
83'
Attempt saved. José Ardón (Guatemala) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Pedro Altán with a cross.
82'
Foul by Alvin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago).
82'
Esteban García (Guatemala) wins a free kick on the left wing.
81'
Hand ball by Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago).
81'
Attempt missed. Alvin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
80'
Stheven Robles (Guatemala) is shown the yellow card for hand ball.
80'
Hand ball by Stheven Robles (Guatemala).
79'
Substitution, Trinidad and Tobago. Duane Muckette replaces Michel Poon-Angeron.
79'
Substitution, Trinidad and Tobago. Nathaniel James replaces Ryan Telfer.
79'
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
79'
Substitution, Trinidad and Tobago. Christopher Biggette replaces Denzil Smith because of an injury.
75'
Delay in match because of an injury Denzil Smith (Trinidad and Tobago).
75'
Attempt missed. Pedro Altán (Guatemala) left footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the right. Assisted by Óscar Castellanos.
74'
Foul by Pedro Altán (Guatemala).
74'
Aubrey David (Trinidad and Tobago) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
71'
Attempt missed. Nicolás Samayoa (Guatemala) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Pedro Altán with a cross.
70'
José Pinto (Guatemala) hits the bar with a header from the left side of the six yard box. Assisted by Esteban García with a cross.
70'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Aubrey David.
69'
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
67'
Substitution, Guatemala. Esteban García replaces Óscar Santis.
67'
Substitution, Guatemala. Pedro Altán replaces Alejandro Galindo.
65'
Delay in match because of an injury Denzil Smith (Trinidad and Tobago).
65'
Aubrey David (Trinidad and Tobago) is shown the yellow card.
65'
Attempt saved. Óscar Santis (Guatemala) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nathaniel Méndez-Laing.
62'
Offside, Trinidad and Tobago. Kaïlé Auvray tries a through ball, but Ross Russell Jr. is caught offside.
61'
Substitution, Trinidad and Tobago. Kaïlé Auvray replaces Noah Powder.
60'
Attempt missed. Stheven Robles (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Óscar Santis following a corner.
59'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Ross Russell Jr..
59'
Attempt saved. Stheven Robles (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
58'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Ross Russell Jr..
57'
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
57'
Delay in match because of an injury Justin García (Trinidad and Tobago).
54'
Goal! Trinidad and Tobago 2, Guatemala 2. Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner following a corner.
54'
Attempt saved. Neveal Hackshaw (Trinidad and Tobago) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ryan Telfer with a cross.
54'
Corner, Trinidad and Tobago. Conceded by Óscar Castellanos.
53'
Attempt blocked. Noah Powder (Trinidad and Tobago) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Michel Poon-Angeron.
52'
Attempt missed. Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Andre Rampersad.
51'
Attempt saved. Rubio Rubín (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alejandro Galindo.
48'
Offside, Guatemala. Nathaniel Méndez-Laing tries a through ball, but Alejandro Galindo is caught offside.
47'
Attempt blocked. Stheven Robles (Guatemala) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is blocked.
47'
Attempt blocked. José Ardón (Guatemala) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Óscar Santis with a cross.
46'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Andre Rampersad.
46'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Aubrey David.
45'
Second Half begins Trinidad and Tobago 1, Guatemala 2.
45'+6'
First Half ends, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Guatemala 2.
45'+5'
Attempt missed. Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ryan Telfer with a cross following a corner.
45'+5'
Corner, Trinidad and Tobago. Conceded by José Ardón.
45'+4'
Corner, Trinidad and Tobago. Conceded by José Ardón.
45'+2'
Justin García (Trinidad and Tobago) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45'+2'
Foul by Justin García (Trinidad and Tobago).
45'+2'
Alejandro Galindo (Guatemala) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
45'+2'
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
45'
Delay in match because of an injury Nicholas Hagen (Guatemala).
45'
Ryan Telfer (Trinidad and Tobago) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
45'
Nicholas Hagen (Guatemala) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
45'
Foul by Ryan Telfer (Trinidad and Tobago).
41'
Offside, Guatemala. Stheven Robles tries a through ball, but Óscar Santis is caught offside.
40'
Noah Powder (Trinidad and Tobago) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
40'
Foul by José Ardón (Guatemala).
39'
Hand ball by Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago).
37'
Attempt missed. Reon Moore (Trinidad and Tobago) left footed shot from very close range is too high. Assisted by Alvin Jones with a cross.
36'
Goal! Trinidad and Tobago 1, Guatemala 2. Alvin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top left corner.
35'
Noah Powder (Trinidad and Tobago) is shown the yellow card.
34'
Penalty conceded by Jorge Aparicio (Guatemala) after a foul in the penalty area.
34'
Penalty Trinidad and Tobago. Noah Powder draws a foul in the penalty area.
33'
Corner, Trinidad and Tobago. Conceded by José Ardón.
33'
Foul by Alejandro Galindo (Guatemala).
33'
Andre Rampersad (Trinidad and Tobago) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
31'
Goal! Trinidad and Tobago 0, Guatemala 2. Óscar Santis (Guatemala) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
31'
Attempt blocked. Óscar Santis (Guatemala) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Stheven Robles with a cross.
30'
Attempt saved. Óscar Santis (Guatemala) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jorge Aparicio.
28'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Alvin Jones.
27'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Denzil Smith.
27'
Attempt saved. Rubio Rubín (Guatemala) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
25'
Corner, Trinidad and Tobago. Conceded by José Pinto.
21'
Attempt blocked. Stheven Robles (Guatemala) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is blocked. Assisted by José Ardón.
21'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Ross Russell Jr..
20'
Substitution, Trinidad and Tobago. Reon Moore replaces Tyrone Charles because of an injury.
20'
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
18'
Delay in match because of an injury Tyrone Charles (Trinidad and Tobago).
16'
Ryan Telfer (Trinidad and Tobago) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
16'
Foul by Nicolás Samayoa (Guatemala).
14'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Aubrey David.
12'
Goal! Trinidad and Tobago 0, Guatemala 1. Rubio Rubín (Guatemala) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nathaniel Méndez-Laing.
12'
Attempt blocked. Nathaniel Méndez-Laing (Guatemala) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Óscar Santis with a cross.
10'
Corner, Guatemala. Conceded by Ryan Telfer.
4'
Attempt saved. Ryan Telfer (Trinidad and Tobago) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Alvin Jones.
3'
Hand ball by Óscar Santis (Guatemala).
-
First Half begins.
-
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.