WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao’s U-20 national football team has failed to qualify for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship after suffering a dramatic 2-1 defeat against Haiti in the decisive Group D match.
Haiti controlled much of the first half, dominating possession and creating the majority of scoring opportunities. Curaçao goalkeeper Giuliano Bonevacia played a key role in keeping the score level, making several important saves to prevent his team from falling behind early in the match.
Haiti celebrates
Curaçao occasionally threatened going forward but struggled to create clear chances in the opening period.
After the break, Curaçao was given an opportunity to take the lead. In the 62nd minute, Damiënthly Bernadina was brought down inside the penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty. Bernadina stepped up and converted the spot kick himself, scoring his sixth goal of the tournament.
For much of the second half, Curaçao appeared on course for victory and qualification for the regional championship. However, the match turned dramatically in the closing minutes.
In the 90th minute, Miguel Joseph equalized for Haiti with a free kick. Moments later, in the third minute of stoppage time, Kervens Romulus scored the winning goal, sealing a 2-1 comeback victory for Haiti.
The late turnaround means Curaçao misses out on qualification for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship despite leading for most of the second half.