Football- 2006
World Cup – Trinidad
On November 16th 2005, Trinidad and Tobago
created history by becoming the smallest country to ever qualify for the World
Cup. By beating Bahrain (who would have been the smallest country had they
qualified with a similar population of 1.2 million) 1-0 at the Bahrain national
stadium, they provided Trinbagonian fans
with a once in a lifetime moment for many.
Supporters were understandably circumspect about the
possibility of qualification. In 1989, needing just a draw to qualify for
Italia ’90, the national team, dubbed the “Strike Squad’ had been paraded
across the entire country as heroes. The team bus to the national stadium for
this final, all-important match was at the back of a slow moving motorcade to
allow the fans to see their “World Cup heroes”. They lost 1-0 to the USA, who
qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 50 years. They have been to
every World Cup since then and 1989 is generally considered the turning point
of American soccer, with their reappearance to the World Cup coinciding with
being named hosts for the 1994 World Cup.
Hopes were higher in 2005 even with the lingering memory of
that 1989 defeat. The squad that qualified for World Cup 2006 was not a young
one. Captain Dwight Yorke and playmaker Russell Latapy were members of the 1989
Strike Squad. They may not have thought their chance to go to the World Cup
would ever arise again and they were not going to be complacent. Furthermore,
Bahrain was not a football power. Few Trinidadians could name a single player
from their team. To have the playoff game against the AFC playoff winner was
considered to be an easier route than to play the representatives of the
Oceanic Federation (where at the time Australia were still members and
perennial champions) or a South American team.
The first leg of the playoff was held on November 12th,
2005 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad
and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is comprised of two islands and populated by
members of various ethnic groups brought to the island by the British during
the period when the island was a colony. It is a young country, having gained
independence in 1962 and the status of republic in 1974. Overt sporting
patriotism is rare due to the fact that the country is rarely a front-runner at
world events. At the time, the main claims for fame for Trinidad and Tobago
were the 1974 Olympic Gold in the 100m sprint by Hasely Crawford (whose name
was borne by the stadium the playoff would be held at) and the silver and
bronze medal performances by Ato Boldon (who would direct and produce a documentary
about his travels to Bahrain for the second leg of the playoff) at the 1996 and
2000 Olympics.
In the lead-up to the match, the national colours of red,
white and black could be seen everywhere. Vendors were doing quite well on the
sale of miniature flags and bandannas and even the replica shirt of the
national team was enjoying high sales (despite usually being derided as
overpriced). Scalpers, dreaming of immense markups, tried in vain to obtain
tickets for the match to no avail. No one would sell their ticket.
With the home support behind them, Trinidad attacked
regularly and most of the game was played in the Bahrain half. However the
Bahrain team was well disciplined and had clearly come into the game expecting
to have to defend. Their resolute defending coupled with inspired goalkeeping
from Hussein Ali Hasan eliminated Trinidadian chances one after another. The
Bahrainis, likely inspired by their excellent defensive display, gained the
lead against the run of play. Salman Isa took advantage of a largely untested
Trinidadian defense’s lapse and headed in from the edge of the six yard box
after a short corner. Chris Birchall would equalize less than three minutes
later with a ferocious shot into the top left corner but Bahrain would hold the
advantage of an away goal going into the second leg.
The return leg was played on Wednesday 16th
November 2005 at 8 p.m. Bahrain time. It was 1 p.m. in Trinidad and the entire
country had come to a standstill. Even people who had never watched a minute of
football in their life could not fail to be carried away by the historic moment
that was underway. Most workplaces gave
their employees half-day and schools, who could not just send students home,
allowed pupils into the staff rooms and audio-visual rooms so they could follow
the action. Those unfortunate enough not to have access to a television
surrounded radios where the match was being broadcast on several stations.
Not many Trinidadians had gone to the away match. All the
supporters were able to fit on a single chartered plane and numbered less than
300. Yet prior to kickoff it was still possible to hear the sounds of the
Trinidadian supporters playing musical instruments (known as the “rhythm
section”) amongst the noise of the Bahraini supporters.
Due to the importance of the occasion, the first half was
tense and largely devoid of any action. Bahrain knew that a draw would be
enough and once again set up to defend while Trinidad continuously attempted to
find the goal that would give them qualification. The ball was regularly stuck
in the midfield and the play itself was scrappy with misplaced passes and
mistimed tackles the regular feature. Bahrain had a chance at the end of the
first half when Trinidadian goalkeeper Kelvin Jack missed an attempt to clear
but the Trinidadian defence cleared before Jack’s error could be punished. The
teams went in at the break with Trinidad having played more attacking football
but were lacking the ability to break down the strong defence, while Bahrain
seemed more nervous playing in front of huge home support but still managed to
put a resolute display.
The beginning of the second half suggested it would again be
a case of Trinidadian attacks and Bahraini defence for the next 45 minutes.
Four minutes into the second half, another thwarted Trinidadian attack resulted
in a corner. Perhaps it was under
instruction from the coach at half-time or perhaps just the sense that time was
running out, but both Trinidadian centre-backs came forward for the corner.
Dennis Lawrence, the tallest player on the pitch at 6’ 6”, rose highest to head
in Dwight Yorke’s corner into the bottom
right corner. It was described by the television commentator as “most important
goal ever for Trinidad” and it was no exaggeration.
Jubilant scenes of celebration occurred on the pitch as well
as all over Trinidad. Those who were able to hear a television would have been
able to hear the few Trinidadian supporters over the silent and stunned
Bahraini crowd.
Most of the second half still had to be played and Bahrain
attempted to change their tactics to chase the goal they needed to have any
chance of going to Germany. Trinidad, however, continued to attack and Ali Hasan
in the Bahraini goal was called on several times to keep his team in the game.
Tensions ran high and there were a few moments of confrontation amongst players
as the half progressed. Kelvin Jack was
again involved in a bizarre moment of goalkeeping when his was dispossessed
while attempting a clearance. Ahmed Hasan put the ball in the back of the net
but the whistle had already been blown by referee Oscar Ruiz. The Bahrainis
protested the decision and the game degenerated into furious scenes of dissent
culminating in defender Ali Baba being sent off for pushing the referee.
There was still time for Russell Latapy to hit the bar and
for Kelvin Jack to atone for his earlier eccentricities by making an
exceptional save in the dying moments of the game. After the whistle the
Bahraini players again surrounded the referee but the Trinidadians took no part
in the fracas. Like the rest of the country, they were too busy celebrating
becoming the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup.
The next day was declared a public holiday and the team was
paraded across the country, just as in 1989, for the fans to see their
footballing heroes. Unlike in 1989, there would be no disappointment. The
potential opponents or probable results in Germany were largely ignored. It was
enough for every Trinidadian fan to be able to say they saw Trinidad play at a
World Cup.
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