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21
Thu, Nov
Match Report
Costa Rica Trinidad & Tobago
Costa Rica T&T flag
 Stern John (pen 93')

Concacaf Gold Cup
DateVenueLocationAttendance
2002-01-20Orange BowlMiami, FL, United States12253


T&T hold Costa Rica to shock draw


A late penalty from Stern John saved a point for Trinidad & Tobago as they held Costa Rica to a shock 1-1 draw on Sunday in the Gold Cup.

American referee Brian Hall called a penalty in injury time after Costa Rican defender Luis Marin had gone over the back of T&T’s Angus Eve. John cracked an unstoppable penalty into the top right hand corner of the net to cancel out the second half goal from Rolando Fonseca.

The draw sends Costa Rica into the quarterfinals, but they are not assured of winning the group now. The result throws Group C into disarray as Trinidad & Tobago can still win the group if they defeat Martinque by three goals on Tuesday night. Martinique also benefit as they can move through the quarterfinals if they beat T&T.

In their second game in two days, Costa Rica head coach Alexandre Guimaraes made three changes to the team that defeated Martinique 2-0 on Friday. Erick Lonis who had been the de facto starter for the Ticos in World Cup Qualifying got the start in net instead of Alvaro Mesen while Jervis Drummond and Ronald Gomez got their first starts of the tournament.

It was Gomez who had recovered from a knee that kept him out of Friday night’s game who had the bulk of the Ticos chances in the first half. In the 12th minute, he had the ball at the top of the box and fired it right at T&T goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.

Costa Rica was limited to a number of long distance shots in the first half which barely threatened Hislop’s goal, but in the 37th minute, Gomez made some nice moves on the right side of goal and fired at a narrow angle, but Hislop was there to keep it out.

The Soca Warriors had their best chance at the end of the first half when John snuck around substitute Marin near the touchline, but the Nottingham Forest striker fired wide of the net.

Fonseca opened the scoring finally in the 57th minute when Mauricio Solis made a great run to the touch-line and was able to turn the ball back towards the penalty spot. Fonseca took the pass in stride and powered it past Hislop for his second goal of the tournament.

Trinidad though went down to 10 men in the 64th minute when midfielder Arnold Dwarika was sent off for a blatant hand ball in his own penalty area. It was Dwarika’s second yellow card of the game, and it means he will miss their crucial clash with Martinique on Tuesday.

The Soca Warriors almost tied the game when John beat an offside trap and went in on Lonis one on one. John shot low towards the corner, but Lonis trailing foot managed to knock the ball out of danger.

Costa Rica had two golden opportunities to put the game away when substitute Hernan Medford cross the ball to Fonseca who pushed the shot wide. Medford himself had a quality chance two minutes later but shot the ball right at Hislop from the top of the box.

There were literally seconds left in the match when Trinidad & Tobago tried one last time to tie the game. Costa Rica could not clear the ball out of the penalty area and as Eve tried to trap a ball at the corner of the six-yard box, Marin fouled him in the back and Hall had no choice but to point to the spot.

It was sweet revenge for Rene Simoes’ team who had lost twice to the Ticos in World Cup Qualifying in the past year.

Costa Rica: Lonis, Castro, Parks, Martinez, Drummond (Marin, 42), Wallace, Centeno, Lopez (Medford, 77), Solis, Fonseca, Gomez (Bryce, 63)

Trinidad & Tobago: Hislop, Elcock (Gray, 58), Andrews, Avery, Mason, Saunders Carrington, Dwarika, Rahim (Eve, 78) Stern John, Nigel Pierre (Samuel, 46)

LINEUP
1.Neil Hislop (capt.)
4.Marvin Andrews
10.Reynold Carrington
13.Subbed outAnsil Elcock
 Subbed in 57' Cyd Gray
6.Avery John
9.Arnold Dwarika Yellow Card 33 ' Yellow Card 69 '
15.Stokely Mason
11.Subbed outBrent Rahim
 Subbed in 78' Angus Eve
3.Dale Saunders Yellow Card 14 '
14.Stern John
18.Subbed outNigel Pierre
 Subbed in 45' Collin Samuel
SUBSTITUTES
7.Cyd Gray Yellow Card 65 '
8.Angus Eve
12.Collin Samuel
21.Clayton Ince
5.Brent Sancho
16.Keyeno Thomas
17.Aurtis Whitley
COACH
 René Simoes
SUBSTITUTIONS
45'Subbed outSubbed inCollin Samuel for Nigel Pierre
57'Subbed outSubbed inCyd Gray for Ansil Elcock
78'Subbed outSubbed inAngus Eve for Brent Rahim
YELLOW CARDS
14'Yellow CardDale Saunders
33'Yellow CardArnold Dwarika
65'Yellow CardCyd Gray
69'Yellow CardArnold Dwarika
RED CARDS
69'Red CardArnold Dwarika