Match Report
| Costa Rica | Trinidad & Tobago | |
|---|---|---|
 |
   |
 |
| Jerren Nixon (7') | ||
FIFA World Cup™ Qualifier
| Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-12-21 | Estadío Rafael Ángel Meza | Cartago, Costa Rica | 25000 |
T&T ends WCQ run with a 1-2 loss
| Trinidad and Tobago's run to France came to an end with a 1-2 lost to Costa Rica. It was considered by many to be their best game of the campaign. They were without captain David Nakhid who missed the game due to a admistrative error by the TTFA. This left only one professional in Jerren Nixon to shoulder much of the burden. They scored in the 11th minute scored in off a Hutson Charles right side cross. In the 23rd minute Angus Eve knocked in a ball past goalie Lonis. However, it was called back to a weird offside call when the linesman called a sliding Nixon offside who didnot make contact with the ball. The midfield of Charles, Lyndon Andrews and Eve worked well together. Costa Rica continued to attack the Trinidad and Tobago goal. However, good defending by the T&T back Elcock, Marvin Andrews and Thomas, together with Captain Ross Russell kept the Calypso boys in the game. Strangely the Costa Ricans benefited from five extra "phantom" minutes. This gave the Costa Ricans enough time to score through (you guessed it) a defensive error, when Russell sliped while trying to clear a poor back pass. In the second half T&T slipped down hill as they found themselves on the end of constant Costa Rican attack. Things got worse when defender Stokely Mason was sent off for elbowing a Costa Rican midfielder. Also giving his marching orders was coach Pereira for arguing a call. In the end it was Wanchope who put the final nail in the coffin of T&T. T&T finish with just one point from six games played. |
| LINEUP | |
| Ross Russell | |
| Marvin Andrews | |
| Ansil Elcock | |
| 6. | Marvin Faustin |
| Richard Theodore | |
 Alvin Thomas  40 ' | |
 65' Stokely Mason | |
| Lyndon Andrews 60 ' | |
| 61' Terry St. Louis | |
| Angus Eve | |
| 8. | Hutson Charles |
| Stern John | |
| Jerren Nixon | |
| SUBSTITUTES | |
Stokely Mason  73 ' | |
| Terry St. Louis | |
| COACH | |
| Sebastian de Araujo | |
| SUBSTITUTIONS | |
| 61' | Terry St. Louis for Lyndon Andrews |
| 65' | Stokely Mason for Alvin Thomas |
| YELLOW CARDS | |
| 40' | Alvin Thomas |
| 60' | Lyndon Andrews |
| RED CARDS | |
| 73' | Stokely Mason |