The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The winning streak came to an end, but the Bahamas will receive promotion to the CONCACAF 2021 Gold Cup Qualifiers.

With a 1-1 draw yesterday against Bonaire at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao, the Bahamas emerged as the top group team in League C, Group B.

Twelve sides will advance to the 2021 Qualifiers and the Bahamas is placed in Group C. Guatemala joined the Bahamas as two of the four qualifiers in the group thus far.

Cuba has been the only other qualifier thus far and is placed in Group A.

The qualifiers will determine the final four teams to qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Terry Delancy Jr scored on a header at the 36-minute mark and Ilfred Piar scored the equaliser with a header of his own just eight minutes later.

Neither team could gain an advantage in a tough played first half which featured six yellow cards, five drawn on Bonaire and just one for the Bahamas.

Nearly equal all match in time of possession, the Bahamas were the aggressors with 11 shots on goal to just six for Bonaire.

The Bahamas finished the current stage of group play with three wins, zero losses and one tie.They previously defeated Bonaire 2-1 at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium back in September, the first game of the home-and-away series.

The Bahamas came into yesterday’s match three points ahead of Bonaire after they protected home pitch Thursday and won their third consecutive Nations League game with a 3-0 win over the British Virgin Islands at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

Team Bahamas struck early when Isiah Collie scored in the ninth minute.

Team captain Lesly St Fleur would tack on another score less than two minutes later for a 2-0 lead. Quinton Carey added the final goal for the home team in the 35th minute. Just over a month ago, the Bahamas topped the BVI 4-0 on October 9 at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.

St Fleur scored a pair of goals (37’, 49’), Happy Hall (55’) added the third and Carey (81’) scored the final goal late to cap the scoring.

The CONCACAF Nations League began with a one-off qualifying phase.

Following 68 matches, the 34 participating teams were compiled into an aggregate table, ranking them 1-34.

The final standings of each team determined if they were placed into League A, B or C.

In the qualifying stage in the fall of 2018, the Bahamas began with a 4-0 loss to Belize, followed by a 6-0 loss to Antigua and Barbuda. The team ended the year with a 1-1 draw with Anguilla.

The Bahamas concluded qualification with a 4-0 loss to Dominica.

The six teams that participated in the Hexagonal Round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Russia 2018 were pre-seeded directly into League A.

The CONCACAF Nations League is a new centralised men’s national team competition representing a new era of national team football for CONCACAF member associations.

Through this new centralised competition, all 41 CONCACAF member associations participate in competitive international football year-round.