A thunderous strike from defender Kareem Moses, coupled with two carefully crafted goals from captain Joevin Jones and Ryan Telfer, guided the T&T Soca Warriors to a comfortable 3-0 win over the Bahamas in their penultimate match in Group C of the CONCACAF Nations League Friday at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.

The Warriors might have had a fourth goal, but after T&T’s new-found midfielder Kaile Auvray curled the ball past goalkeeper Ian Lowe from a freekick on top of the area, Moses swooped in to head home ahead of defender Phieron Wilson, but the linesman waved offside.

It was a victory that put the T&T men on 12 points at the top of the group but Nicaragua, who was on 10 points yesterday, was expected to plunge into action against St Vincent and the Grenadines, last night.

It means whether the Nicaraguans win, loss or draw, the winner of the group which will earn automatic qualification for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, as well as be promoted to Group ‘A’ in the region, will be determined on Monday when the teams (T&T/Nicaragua) clash at the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago.

The Bahamians are still battling to ensure they stay up in League B in the region.

Coach Angus Eve lost more than three players for the encounter for different reasons, but it hardly showed with each player stepping up to produce an overall commanding performance.

The game was just five minutes old when Auvray used his speed to perfection down the left side and centred for the oncoming Daniel Phillips on top of the Bahamian box, but his powerful attempt cannoned off a defender, before the ball fell nicely for Moses to let fly, powerfully past Lowe for a 1-0 lead.

The goal eased the early nerves exhibited by the T&T players as they sought to possess the ball thereafter, as they attacked. However, the Bahamians may feel they should have scored in the 10th minute. Quinton Carey, operating on the right side, was served during a rare Bahamas build-up, and when he picked out the unmarked Christopher Rahming facing goalkeeper Nicklas Frenderup all alone in the 10th minute with a lifted cross, the lanky midfielder failed to direct his header on target.

It was one that they had let slip and were later made to pay for it in the 26th minute.

Telfer, who tortured the Bahamian defenders all afternoon long, would again exhibit blinding speed to get past Wilson on the right side, and when he centred, he presented captain Joevin Jones with the simple task of tapping the ball into an empty net for a 2-0 advantage.

Still, they were far from finish, with the half-time interval a distance away.

In the 34th minute, Telfer, the architect of his team’s second goal, was now at the receiving end of a through-ball by Alvin Jones, and with only Lowe to beat, he calmly slotted the ball past him for a 3-0 advantage.

What had promised to be a close encounter was shaping up to be a demolition with three goals in 34 minutes of play. But Bahamas, who held T&T to a goalless tie that booted them out of the World Cup qualifiers at the same surface in 2021, would not surrender.

And William Bayles, given room on top of the T&T area in the 40th minute, tried to pull one back, but his shot failed to trouble Frenderup.

After the interval, T&T thought they were deserving of a penalty as Auvray went down from a challenge from Reon Davis in the 51st minute, but the referee waved play on.

The Warriors then continued their dominance on the home team and really should have been rewarded when Auvray’s curling effort came off the crossbar for Moses to head home in the 70th minute but the goal was ruled offside.

Captain Joevin Jones later squandered two clear-cut chances in the game to push T&T further ahead, but they had to settle for a 3-0 win.

RELATED NEWS

Trinidad and Tobago crush Bahamas 3-0 in Nations League.
By Stephon Nicholas (T&T Newsday).

Trinidad and Tobago thumped Bahamas 3-0 on Friday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, Bahamas, to reach one step closer to their goals in the Concacaf Nations League.

&TT took just five minutes to assert their superiority over a team that has caused them some consternation in the recent past. Two years ago, at the same venue, Bahamas ended T&T's 2022 World Cup hopes with a 0-0 draw that saw former coach Terry Fenwick fired.

Now led by coach Angus Eve, T&T are eyeing promotion to League A of the Nations League and a spot in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Victory on Monday against Nicaragua, at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago, will see Eve's troops achieve those objectives.

Midifielder Kareem Moses rifled T&T ahead early with a a 25-yard strike that flew past the despairing dive of goalie Ian Lowe in the fifth minute.

The hosts had a golden chance to level the scores but Christopher Rahming could not direct his header on target after a perfect right-sided cross from Quinton Carey.

T&T forward Rundell Winchester, in just his fifth national appearance in ten years, was fed through on goal by the lively Kaile Auvray but he took too long to shoot and the danger was snuffed out.

&TT began to settle into possession, using goalie Nicklas Frenderup as an outlet regularly to retain the ball when pressured.

Skipper Joevin Jones made it 2-0 in the 26th with a simple finish from the penalty spot after Ryan Telfer surged down the right and squared the ball into his path.

Telfer turned from provider to finisher, drilling a low left-footed strike into the net in the 34th after receiving a pass that beat the offside trap.

Bahamas could have pulled one back before the half when forward Omari Bain received the ball around the six-yard box, but he took too long to sort out his feet and the T&T defence cleared the ball.

It was more of the same in the second period with Bahamas creating few chances to trouble Frenderup.

Auvray, who was creating havoc down the left, thought he had earned a penalty when he was brought to the ground after blowing past his marker, but Jamaican referee Oshane Nation waved play on.

Telfer was proving a handful for Bahamas as well on the opposite flank and earned a freekick in the 69th with another direct run.

Auvray, 18, in just his third cap since switching allegiance from St Martin to T&T, showed he's also a dead-ball threat with a right-footed effort that crashed against the crossbar. Moses was the first to react and headed into the empty net but the linesman cut short celebrations with his flag. Replays however, showed Moses may have been in a legal position.

In the 73rd, after some quick short passing by T&T around the top of the Bahamas box, Telfer curled a left-footer that was rejected by the left post.

A Jones production almost made it 4-0 in the 85th, but Joevin could not direct his brother Alvin's cross into the net.

Joevin again failed to hit the target, in the 90th, after substitute Marcus Joseph's flick-on header sent him through unchallenged on goal.

Despite the profligacy in the second half, coach Eve would be pleased by the overall performance and looking forward to sterner tests on Monday.

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-3-1): 21.Nicklas Frenderup (GK); 16.Alvin Jones, 12.Kareem Moses, 2.Aubrey David (4.Leland Archer 46), 18.Triston Hodge; 5.Andre Rampersad, 8.Daniel Phillips (9.Michel Poon-Angeron 61); 7.Ryan Telfer (23.Jomal Williams 74), 3.Joevin Jones (captain), 15.Kaile Auvray (6.Noah Powder 74), 19.Rundell Winchester (10.Marcus Joseph 61).

Unused substitutes: 1.Marvin Phillip (GK), 22.Denzil Smith (GK), 11.John-Paul Rochford, 13.Reon Moore, 14.Shannon Gomez, 17.Justin Garcia, 20.Molik Khan.

Coach: Angus Eve

The Bahamas (3-4-1-2): 1.Ian Lowe (GK); 8.Roen Davis, 10.Lesly St Fleur, 3.Phieron Wilson; 7.Quinton Carey, 13.Christopher Rahming, 9.Wood Julmis (20.Jaxon Bethel 80), 2.Elijah Mitchell; 5.William Bayles (6.Michael Massey 55); 11.Marcel Joseph (captain) (15.Nicolas Lopez 67), 12.Omari Bain (17.Jordin Wilson 67).

Unused substitutes: 16.Michael Thomas (GK), 18.Michael Butler (GK), 23.Vance Wheaton (GK), 4.Troy Pinder, 14.Deron Ferguson, 19.Ian Harris, 21.Nahum Johnson, 22.Reuben Edgecombe.

Coach: Nesly Jean

Referee: Oshane Nation (Jamaica)

Concacaf Nations League B - Group C

(Fri 24 March)

The Bahamas 0, Trinidad and Tobago 3 (Kareem Moses 5, Joevin Jones 26, Ryan Telfer 34) at Nassau;

Nicaragua 4 (Ariagner Smith 3, Juan Barrera 42, Matias Moldskred 60, Francisco Flores 90+2), St Vincent and the Grenadines 1 (Kyle Edwards 18 pen) in Managua