Clevie Wade’s bruised lip has long healed, but the memories of the night he scored an injury-time winner against Mexico still live on 32 years later.

Bermuda were playing the Mexicans in a first-leg Olympic qualifier in April 1987 at BAA Field where they came from a goal down to beat their esteemed opponents 2-1.

Mexico, the World Cup hosts the year before, made sure they settled the score in the return leg, however, thrashing Bermuda 6-0 in Toluca.

However, the home win remains a special moment for those who remember it, as Wade and his team-mates certainly did.

Wade, who played as a striker for Dandy Town, came on as a 67th-minute substitute for Ricky Hill and not even an elbow in the face as the Mexicans resorted to roughhouse tactics, could prevent him from being the Bermuda hero.

Before the elbow incident, Wade supplied the 80th-minute cross that resulted in the equaliser as his cross from a Quinton Simmons throw-in was turned into his own net by full back Sergio Lugo.

That goal wiped out the lead Mexico held since the eleventh minute, with Wade dramatically turning around the match with a winner two minutes into injury time after an Andrew Bascome free kick from 30 yards into the crowded box.

It was the first win for coach Roddy Burchall who took on the post at the start of the season.

Mexico’s physical game that night resulted in Bermuda finishing the first half with ten men as Bascome went off in the 41st minute after being poked in the eye as he tried to turn on a defender.

The incident was not spotted by the Dominican Republic referee.

“If anything the incident with Andrew helped to lift our game,” Burchall told The Royal Gazette afterwards, pointing to the injury as a turning point.

Bascome, whom the Mexicans identified as a threat with his touches in the first half, did return for the second half to rejoin Anthony Stovell and Kenny Thompson in midfield as Bermuda showed tremendous character to match their opponents.

“They came out and played physical and that’s what we did in the second half,” Wade said after the match.

Bascome, then only 23 and one of the outstanding talents of his generation, took the injury in his stride.

“That’s what it’s all about at this level,” he accepted. “As the game got older, we started to get more confident. We always had a chance, but we had to be careful on the attack because it allowed them to counterattack.

“We fought hard and I think the crowd support played an important part,” added Bascome whose nephew, Osagi Bascome, is a midfielder for the present Bermuda team.

Wade, who also representing Bermuda in cricket, still cherishes that match which was played at BAA Field because the National Stadium was being redeveloped at the time.

“I got the ball on the right side and drilled it across the face of the goal and the defender sliced it into his own net,” Wade recalled.

“Late in the second half we got a free kick just inside their half, Andrew flighted a ball into the box and it eluded the defence and dropped inside the area. I pounced on it and slammed it home.

“It was a very memorable night, we were well prepared and Roddy had us doing some good things.

“We were confident and who would have thought that we would beat Mexico. In the dying minutes getting the winner was a proud moment.”

Dennis Brown played alongside captain Lorenzo Symonds in the heart of the defence that night. Quinton Simmons and Earl Richardson were the full backs while Hill, Sammy Swan and Kevin Dill started up front in a 4-3-3 formation.

Walter Musson was the other Bermuda substitute, replacing Dill in the 77th minute.

“Mexico were a very, very good, technical and fast team, short and quick,” Brown recalled.

“But we competed well with them, went down 1-0 in the first half and showed great character to come back to 1-1.

“I remember Clevie scoring at the end. When we went to Mexico they took us to the highest point and we couldn’t even breath! They ended up beating us 6-0.

“I played against Mexico three times, I believe. Another time was in Cuba in the Central American and Caribbean Games semi-finals when they ended up beating us 2-1 after extra time. I was about 17 then and playing at right back.”

Brown, who plans to attend the game tonight, admits the Concacaf Nations League match will be a big test for the Bermuda side, who claimed a surprise 2-0 win over Panama in their previous group B match.

“That’s going to be a big test for our guys, Mexico have been in almost every World Cup,” he said. “They’re the best team in our region.”

Asked to compare the teams of his era to the present side, Brown replied: “They are a good team, but I would never say they are better than the teams I played with. They have a good thing going and I applaud them.”