Bermuda 3 Bermuda under-17s were a step nearer the finals of the World Youth Cup last night after a stunning victory over Trinidad & Tobago.

Two goals from Jabari Furbert and another from Nasir Wade humbled the home side and gave watching national coaching director Clyde Best plenty to smile about.

Wade was first to strike with a spectacular individual effort in the 20th minute. He collected the ball 40 yards from goal and beat two defenders before calmly slipping his shot underneath the body of the advancing goalkeeper.

Furbert doubled the lead 15 minutes later. He received the ball with his back to goal, turned past a defender and fired his shot inside the far post. The third goal, which killed off the Caribbean side, arrived 15 minutes before the end and was brilliantly created by Mackie Crane.

From the centre of the field, Crane played a diagonal ball into the space behind the Trinidad defence. Furbert beat the goalkeeper to it and then slid the ball into the net from 20 yards out.

But it was not all one-way traffic and the Bermuda defence had to be at its best to snuff out a series of attacks by the home side.

The clash with the host nation was expected to be toughest of the three games the youth team are playing in Trinidad for the right to progress to the last series of qualifiers before the World Youth Cup finals.

Best, who has gone on record as saying the team has a good chance of becoming the first Bermuda national team ever to reach the finals of a World Cup at any level, was delighted.

"It's great for the kids, they've put a lot of time into it and this is proving what I've been saying about them. They are capable of going further if they play to their potential,'' said Best.

Looking forward to the team's next game against the Netherland Antilles tomorrow, which his side are now hot favourites to win, Best added: "It is essential now that we do not get complacent.'' The team's head coach Mark Trott said: "I'm ecstatic for the players, but I'm not surprised at how well they played.

"Back in the youth tournament in July, they did not play up to their potential and they knew they could not play like that again.

"The last three or four friendlies they've played very well and I thought they were ready for this.'' But Trott was not making any bold predictions about the Netherland Antilles clash, in which victory would put his side onto the verge of a trip to El Salvador for the next series of qualifiers.

There Bermuda would have to get the better of the host country, Mexico and Canada to earn the right to be CONCACAF's representative at the World Youth Cup finals.

Despite the fact that the Antilles lost 5-2 to Barbados yesterday, Trott said: "When they see we've beaten the host nation, that will give the Antilles extra motivation when they play us.'' He gave special praise to the defensive partnership of Georon Trott, Kingsley Mundy and Jason Hayward, known by team mates as `The Three Amigos', for their superb organisation.

Bermuda's final match in the series is against Barbados on Sunday.