League B of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League continued on Friday with four games on the docket.
Group C got underway with two simultaneous encounters in the afternoon. Bermuda and French Guiana played to a goalless deadlock, while Saint Vincent and the Grenadines took the top of the group with a 2-1 away victory over Belize.
Group B also had simultaneous encounters later in the evening as Nicaragua put their stamp on first place with a 2-0 win in the Dominican Republic. Barbados lost 3-2 against Montserrat, as the road teams continue to have the best result through the opening slate.
Bermuda vs. French Guiana
Bermuda and French Guiana played to a scoreless draw at the Dame Flora Duffy Sports Complex in Devonshire, Bermuda.
The hosts were immediately on the offensive and had a cross into the box in the first minute. While fans thought they had a goal, an offensive foul was called on the Bermuda frontline, but the early intentions were evident.
The visitors tried to retake the momentum and nearly did as Loic Baal almost scored one of the goals of the tournament in the 20’ with a long range shot from the left wing. The attempt landed just outside of goal, but put a scare on the hometown crowd.
Reggie Lambe came on in the second half to provide penetration into the penalty area of French Guiana, but was denied in the 76’ by Donovan Leon.
Bermuda goalkeeper Dale Eve had the last say as he stopped a French Guiana attempt on the last play of the second half, with both goalkeepers taking a clean sheet.
Belize vs. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Belize suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the Pierre-Aliker Stadium in Fort-de-France, Martinique.
Both offenses were aggressive from the start, but it was the visitors that nearly took the lead when Cornelius Stewart found Marlon Simmons for a shot inside the penalty area in the fifth minute. The 20-year-old Simmons had another opportunity in the box at the 13’ but was denied by the Belize defense.
Nana Mensah tried his luck from long range and was rewarded for it with the opening goal as Belize led 1-0 in the 18’ minute. The power on the hit was too much to contain for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines GK Garwin Davis and the momentum shifted to the home team.
Simmons found the back of the net with a header in the 51’ to equalize. Gidson Francis provided the service on the corner kick for the assist.
The match was decided on a Belize own goal in the 79’ as a cross into the box rebounded off the thigh of defender Carlos Bernardez. Jequan Adams provided the service as he was looking to connect with Cornelius Stewart at the top of the goal area.
Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua
The Dominican Republic fell 2-0 to Nicaragua at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The opening goal came late in the first half as Matias Moldskred provided the finishing header in the 38’ minute. The play came off a long service from right back Nextaly Rodriguez to the far post, assisted with a header inside the box from left back Oscar Acevedo.
Acevedo got on the scoresheet himself with a long-distance curling effort in the 41’ minute. With two defenders on him, he got the perfect hit into the upper right.
A couple of free kicks for the Dominican Republic provided some moments of suspense in the closing stretch of the encounter, but Nicaraguan goalkeeper Miguel Rodriguez ended the match with two saves to go along with the clean sheet.
Barbados vs. Montserrat
Montserrat took a 3-2 win against Barbados at the Wildey Turf Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The visitors struck first thanks to a Lyle Taylor strike in the 6’ off a cross to the right post. Jamie Allen provided the assist as Montserrat were up 1-0 early.
The lead didn’t last long as the hosts had an immediate response with an eighth minute equalizer. A left-footed strike inside the box from Elijah Downey capped off a quick response through the left wing.
Another attack from the left side led to Barbados’ second goal in the 26’, as Thierry Gale put the exclamation point on an elaborate build up play.
Montserrat found an equalizer in the 81’ thanks to a free kick. Joseph Taylor found substitute Adrian Clifton inside the box for the clinical strike.
A free kick opportunity deep into stoppage time provided Taylor an opportunity to score his second of the day. His right-footed strike in the 90+7’ provided the game-winning goal and the three points for Montserrat.
