Bermuda 3 Dominica 2

Jai Bean came off the bench to score the winning goal as Bermuda beat Dominica at the Flora Duffy Stadium last night.

Bean netted from a brilliant Harry Twite assist just four minutes after coming off the bench and calmed the nerves of the home supporters who had witnessed Bermuda’s two-goal half-time lead wiped out during the first 15 minutes of the second half.

The North Village striker was delighted to score in consecutive matches after also coming off the bench to hit the target on Saturday.

“That’s why they bring me in, to score goals,’’ Bean told The Royal Gazette. “The main thing was to get the job done and help the team with the win, that’s all that matters to me.

“It was a great run by Harry Twite to read the ball from the midfield, pick it up and beat those defenders. It was just a natural instinct for me to run off and I scored, it was a very good goal.”

An own goal from Dominica’s Marcus Bredas in the 37th minute and a strike from Hall on the stroke of half-time gave Bermuda what looked a comfortable lead, but Troy Jules and a penalty from Audel Laville gave the away side parity before Bean grabbed the crucial goal.

The win keeps Bermuda three points behind Dominican Republic in Concacaf Nations League B group D with two games left to play. The group leaders fired five without reply past Antigua & Barbuda earlier in the day to further boost their goal difference, and Bean concedes that Bermuda were hoping for a bigger margin of victory against Dominica.

“It’s not the result that we wanted, but at the end of the day we got the three points,’’ Bean said.

“Anything can happen, Dominica might show up against Dominican Republic and we can win the two games and go on top of the table.

“Right now it’s us versus the Dominican Republic and hopefully we come out on top. We need to get the three points and as many goals against Antigua, then put our all in against Dominican Republic.”

Hall, who started as the main striker in the absence of Nahki Wells, made a bright start by testing Glenson Prince with a stinging left-footed strike in the third minute. The Chorley forward forced Prince into another save in the seventeenth minute.

Dominica were dangerous on the break and could have opened the scoring in the 33rd minute when Troy Jules broke free on the right, but he hit the side netting.

Bermuda’s took the lead eight minutes before the break when Zeiko Lewis sent a cross into the box searching for Hall, and while the ball did not reach its intended target, Bredas beat his own goalkeeper.

Lewis and Hall were linking up well, and it was this combination doubled Bermuda’s lead heading into the interval, with a third goal almost coming at the start of the second half, but Hall saw his effort hit the post before Luke Robinson had his shot blocked.

Just when it seemed Bermuda would close out the tie, they conceded in the 51st minute when Jules squeezed the ball past Dale Eve before the Bermuda captain brought down Jules to concede a penalty, from which Laville hit the roof of the net to equalise in the 59th minute.

Hall was carried off on a stretcher off with a strapped leg in the 62nd minute after being tackled by Malachai Bonney, which saw the Dominica player booked, but with the home crowd getting agitated, defender Twite took it upon himself to create the winning goal.

The 19-year-old surged forward with the ball from just after the centre circle, got into the box and beat three defenders, drawing out the Dominica goalkeeper and allowing Bean to pounce on the loose ball.

SCORERS

Bermuda: Bredas og 37, K Hall 45, Bean 67

Dominica: Jules 50, Laville 59 pen

TEAMS

Bermuda (4-2-3-1): D Eve – R Jones Jr, D Leverock, H Twite, L Robinson – N Tucker (sub: A Todd, 46min), R Lee – B Hall (sub: R Lambe, 46), Z Lewis (sub: K Scott, 71), K Crichlow – K Hall (sub: J Bean, 63). Substitutes not used: Z Burgess, J Butterfield-Steede, W Clemons, D Bell, K Martin, L Lewis Jr, S Spence, M Perott.

Dominica (4-4-2): G Prince – E Marshall, R Pierre-Louis, M Bredas, C Bertrand – T Joseph (sub: D Warrington, 85), M Bonney (sub: K Thomas, 69), T Jules, G Mitchel – S Anselm (sub: J George, 69), A Laville. Substitutes not used: E Williams, J Maxime, J Xavier, J Burkard, C Paul, T Peltier, D Newton. Booked: Mitchel, Marshall, Bonney.

Referee: J Aguiar (Costa Rica).