MIAMI, Florida – The first slate of matches in the First Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 is in the books, with a number of memorable moments in the 28 matches played.
Apeztegui, Hernandez earn first Cuba caps
For Cuba FW Joel Apezteguia and FW Onel Hernandez, the 1-0 defeat to Guatemala will hold a special place in their hearts, despite the match ending in defeat for their side.
For the 37-year-old Apezteguia, Cuba’s narrow loss to the Central Americans marked his Cuban National Team debut. A veteran of various European leagues in Spain, Moldova and now San Marino, Apezteguia started against Guatemala and then again three days later against Curacao, but was forced off with an injury after 12 minutes in Cuba’s 2-1 defeat.
Hernandez also made his Cuba debut in the loss to Guatemala coming on as a second half substitute. However, the 28-year-old Norwich City striker saved his best for the Curacao match in which he tallied the Cuban goal with a fantastic left-footed strike.
Puerto Rico pick up a point vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Puerto Rico are in the early days of the Dave Sarachan era, and the results under the new Head Coach are very positive thus far. The Boricuas opened WCQ with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Saint Kitts and Nevis, but then rebounded nicely with a 1-1 draw against Trinidad and Tobago to keep their hopes alive of advancing out of Group F.
The draw against the Soca Warriors was a significant one, considering that Puerto Rico played in League C in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League, while Trinidad and Tobago were in League A. But Puerto Rico showed their fighting spirit and offered glimpses that the footballing future is bright on the island. The draw with Trinidad and Tobago also served as the final match in the career of Puerto Rico GK Cody Laurendi, who announced his retirement this week after earning nine caps with the Boricuas.
