Justin Obikwu’s Trinidad and Tobago were eliminated from World Cup qualification last night, while Dexter Lembikisa sees his hopes of travelling hanging in the balance.
Trinidad and Jamaica met in a must-win game for the former, while the Reggae Boyz were relying on results elsewhere, giving them a hand.
The first half drifted by without much drama, yet the visitors struck early in the second period when Renaldo Cephas timed his run perfectly, cut inside from the left, and rolled a cool finish into the bottom corner. QPR striker Rumarn Burrell supplied the assist, and Jamaica looked set to take full control of Group B.
Trinidad and Tobago rallied late. With five minutes to go, Kevin Molino found space close in and forced home the equaliser to lift the noise inside Hasely Crawford Stadium. It offered brief hope, but the point ultimately confirmed the hosts’ exit from the qualification race for 2026.
Jamaica sit second in the group with ten points and a clear path to a direct place still open. They welcome Curaçao next, who smashed seven past Bermuda, including one for Ar’jany Martha, who scored against the Imps this weekend for Rotherham.
Jamaica know they must win Wednesday’s encounter to qualify automatically. A draw would be enough to see them enter the Inter-confederation play-offs, where currently Bolivia and New Caledonia await. They could be joined in that group by Panama, either the UAE or Iraq, and either DR Congo or Nigeria.
Elsewhere across the region, Suriname pushed closer to their World Cup dream with a 4-0 victory over El Salvador, while Haiti, Panama and Nicaragua all picked up significant results as the final round tightens.
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