JUDAH HERNANDEZ scored a 90th minute equaliser yesterday as Trinidad and Tobago Under-21 squad drew 1-1 with Dominica in a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Group Two qualifier at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima.
The goal saved the hosts the indignity of an embarrassing defeat after failing to capitalise on a proliferation of goal-scoring opportunities during the match, which was played in front of a crowd estimated at 2,000.
Desperately seeking an equaliser with just seconds to go in the match, national midfielder Kevon Neaves, attacking through the middle, found Hernandez, via striker Abiola Sandy who failed to collect the initial pass, and the dreadlocked Hernandez turned and powered his 15-metre shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Glenson Prince.
A minute into stoppage time, Josimar Belgrave sent Hayden Tinto clear on the right but his cross was tipped wide by an alert Prince.
Those few moments of action clearly sparked life into the TT team, who hardly seemed capable of penetrating the brick-wall defensive Dominica outfit.
Sandy missed a series of chances in the first half — sending a shot overbar in the 12th; scuffing a chance during a 24th minute goalmouth scramble; failing to find the target in the 31st after a well-worked move on the right; and scooping his right-footer high in the 38th after good work on the left by Hernandez.
Captain Makan Hislop was unable to convert two freekicks but the Dominicans made full use of their only genuine goalscoring chance.
After Marcelle Francois was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the penalty box, captain Mitchel Joseph’s tame spot-kick was muffed by national goalkeeper Thorne Holder, and midfielder Roy Emanuel tapped the loose ball from five metres out.
With Josimar Belgrave replacing Yohance Marshall at the half, coach Ron La Forest switched his midfield with Clevon George on the left and Neaves in the centre.
But too often the TT players were found wanting in the departments of ball-control, shooting and passing, with virtually every player guilty of over-dribbling and attempting to drill home through the packed Dominican defence.
Sandy again had a goal-bound opportunity missed in the 58th as his curling left-footer from the edge on the penalty box, from a feed by Belgrave, hit the upright while substitute Shane Calderon blasted his 30-metre right footer wide moments later.
Belgrave saw his 65th minute low right-footer parried by Prince but neither Sandy nor Calderon were able to latch onto the rebound while Calderon, after weaving his way through the heart of the Dominican back-line, found Hernandez but the forward was unable to find the radar on his right-footed effort.
In the 84th, Tinto collected a low Neaves’ freekick but sailed his right-footer inches over the mark while four minutes later, Prince was forced to save a low Belgrave drive and, in the 90th, Tinto side-footed wide from a left-side feed by Akile Edwards.
It looked as if the Dominicans were on course to record the competition’s first upset, but Hernandez had other ideas and, in the process, secured a share of the points for both teams.
La Forest noted that he was disappointed in the result “because we wanted a win, no two ways about that.
“As I mentioned, Dominica, in the same field with us, I felt that was a no-show,” he said. “The problem today, as everybody noticed, was just the goal-scoring was lacking.”
With three days before the next fixture against Haiti, La Forest said the team will work on goal-scoring.
“As everything else, if you don’t have guys scoring for you, you need to change it around and see if you get guys who would score for us,” he said. “So I’ll be working a lot on the finishing.”
Dominica will oppose Haiti at the same venue tomorrow from 4 pm while the Haitians will square off against TT in the final match on Tuesday.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Thorne Holder; Makan Hislop (capt), Karlon Murray, Ancil Farrier, Marcelle Francois (Shane Calderon 54th); Yohance Marshall (Josimar Belgrave 46th), Kevon Neaves, Hayden Tinto, Clevon George (Akile Edwards 74th); Judah Hernandez, Abiola Sandy.
DOMINICA: Glenson Prince; Macaza White, Dafar Shillingford, Elmond Derrick, Augustus Pinard (Mahon Philogene 73rd); Roy Emmanuel (Lendl Johnson 71st), Lester Vital (Donan Fervier 59th), Shern Dailey, Leon Irish; Mitchel Joseph (capt), Daniel Francis.