FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida – The 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims produced a number of memorable moments from the eight matches played, but these are the five moments that stood out the most.
Hats off to Haiti’s Pierrot
There is just something about playing against Bermuda that brings out the best in Haiti FW Frantzdy Pierrot. Two years after scoring both goals in a 2-1 Haiti win over Bermuda in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage, Pierrot would again display his best against the Gombey Warriors in Haiti’s Second Round Prelims contest with Bermuda. In a span of 12 first half minutes, Pierrot scored three times to earn a hat trick and help Haiti to a 4-1 win. Pierrot finished the Prelims with four goals, tied with Bermuda’s Nahki Wells for top scoring honors.
Wells makes history
While Bermuda’s bid to reach a Gold Cup group stage for the second consecutive time came up just short in a 4-1 loss to Haiti in Tuesday’s Second Round, FW Nahki Wells made some history for the Gombey Warriors in their 8-1 win over Barbados in the first round. Wells scored just 17 seconds into the match, making it the fastest goal in Gold Cup history. Wells would go on to notch a hat trick against the Bajan Tridents and finish the Prelims with four goals.
Guadeloupe on target in shootout
Guadeloupe are back in the Gold Cup group stage for the first time since 2011 thanks to their dramatic 10-9 penalty shootout win over Guatemala in the Second Round of the Prelims on Tuesday night. Twelve players stepped to the spot for Les Gwada Boys, with 10 converting. Perhaps most impressive was that six different players were faced with the situation of having to convert their penalty in order to keep Guadeloupe’s hopes alive. All six would come through before Dimitri Cavare scored his second penalty of the shootout to punch the Caribbean side’s ticket to the next round.
Frenderup comes through in the clutch
The Second Round Prelims contest between Trinidad and Tobago and French Guiana was as tight as it gets and a 1-1 final resulted in a penalty shootout for the two teams. Both sides were infallible through the first seven rounds, with every player converting their attempt. But by round eight, Trinidad and Tobago GK Nicklas Frenderup decided enough was enough and came through in the clutch for his side by making a diving stop to deny Kevin Rimane’s effort, nailing down a heart-stopping 8-7 shootout win for the Soca Warriors.
A first for St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Montserrat and Barbados
The Gold Cup campaigns for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat and Barbados all ended in the First Round of the Prelims, but the three teams all managed to carve out their own slice of history by scoring their first ever Gold Cup goal. Vincy Heat had previously appeared in a Gold Cup, in 1996, but did not find the back of the net. However, against Haiti, Kyle Edwards scored in the 42’ to give his nation their first Gold Cup goal. Lyle Taylor achieved that feat for Montserrat, scoring in the 55’ for the Emerald Boys, while Barbados’ first Gold Cup goal came from Hadan Holligan in the 45+1’ against Bermuda.
