Bermuda 1 Curaçao 6

Bermuda endured a difficult start in the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Qualifier when they lost to an impressive Curaçao on Friday night.

Early pressure from the away side led to them taking an early lead at Flora Duffy Stadium after Sami Carolo conceded an own goal trying to keep out Jeremy Ortela’s cross from the left in the eighth minute. They doubled their advantage in the seventeenth minute through D’Shawn Anastacia following miscommunication between goalkeeper Jahneel Maria and his defence.

As Curaçao kept searching for more first-half goals, Sebastian van Woerkom’s shot from outside the box came off the woodwork ten minutes before the break.

Bermuda coach Aaron Lugo made three changes at the start of the second half, but any hopes of a comeback were shattered almost immediately after the restart when Dayvi Busby scored with a header from a corner.

Busby got his second goal, Curaçao’s fourth, in the 62nd minute with a stunning left-footer after being put through by Rayen Nivillac. Maria was injured when he conceded for the fourth time in the match, which saw him taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Curtis Jackson Jr in the 66th minute.

It appears Maria suffered a serious injury, as his right leg was heavily strapped before he was taken off in an ambulance.

The substitute goalkeeper made an immediate impact. He made a brilliant stop to deny Anastacia, initiated a quick counter-attack when he sent a long ball that resulted in Noah Outerbridge being impeded in the box.

Kennahz Fray, on his birthday, sent Giuliano Bonevacia the wrong way, amid excitement from the 737 largely Bermudian spectators who turned up for the match.

Curaçao’s fifth goal came three minutes before the end. Dakari Smith-Davis, in an attempt to keep out Ortela’s delivery into the box, turned the ball into his own net.

Arynel Jops saw his effort graze the bar before substitute Taysison Bregita rounded the scoring for the winning side in the fifth minute of added time.

Lugo and his technical team do not have much time to come up with a winning formula, with Bermuda’s second match set for Sunday night against Anguilla.

Since their next opponents lost 3-0 to Turks and Caicos Islands in an earlier fixture at Flora Duffy Stadium on Friday, Bermuda will fancy their chances of picking up a first win in the qualifiers.

Scorers

Bermuda: Fray 71 pen

Curaçao: Carolo og 8, Anastacia 17, Busby 46, 62, Smith-Davis og 87, Bregita 90+5

Teams

Bermuda (4-2-3-1): J Maria (sub: C Jackson, 66) ― L Jimenez, E Peets, D Coddington I Gibbons (sub: D Smith-Davis, 46) ― D Leverock, S Carolo ― H Bean-Fox (sub: N Outerbridge, 66), N Zuill (sub: B Borgesson, 46), K Brunson ― R Williams (sub: K Fray, 46). Substitutes not used: T Steede, S Goater, A Brangman, G Reece.

Curaçao (4-1-4-1): G Bonevacia ― K Penso, J Molenaar (sub: T Lucas, 71), M Jansen, J Valentijn ― R Nivillac ― J Ortela, D Busby (sub: C Benita, 71), J Polonious (sub: T Bregita, 90), S van Woerkem (sub: N Isenia, 86), D Anastacia (sub: A Jops, 71). Substitutes not used: F Bakhuis, K Brazil, J Cijintje, J Giterson, K Martis. Booked: Jansen, Van Woerkem.

Referee: J Hughes (Cayman Islands).