Jones on target for Trinidad & Tobago – ESPN
Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones gave Trinidad and Tobago a winning start to their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday night.
GettyImagesStoke striker Kenwyne Jones is in form for club and country
Jones grabbed the only goal of the game in the 44th minute as the Soca Warriors beat Bermuda 1-0 in Port of Spain in their opening match as the second stage of the CONCACAF qualifying section got under way.
The team are aiming to book a place in the finals in Brazil in three years’ time, having featured in the 2006 tournament in Germany.
They do not lead the Group B table after the first round of matches however as Guyana beat Barbados 2-0 in Georgetown thanks to goals from Shawn Beveney and Charles Pollard.
Canada made an impressive start to their campaign as midfielder Josh Simpson, who plays in Turkey for Manisaspor, scored twice in a 4-1 win over St Lucia in Toronto.
Simpson gave the hosts a sixth-minute lead but Tremain Paul drew St Lucia level a minute later. The North Americans pulled clear in the second half as Dwayne De Rosario’s 51st-minute penalty restored their lead and Simpson helped himself to a second just after the hour mark. Substitute Will Johnson wrapped up the scoring in the closing moments. The other game in Group D on Friday between St Kitts & Nevis and Puerto Rico finished goalless.
Nicaragua won 2-0 in Dominica to seize control of Group C, which has been reduced to three teams following the withdrawal of the Bahamas. Raul Leguias scored in the opening minute for Nicaragua in Roseau before Felix Rodriguez wrapped it up.
There were thumping wins in Group F for Haiti and Antigua and Barbuda.
The former thrashed the US Virgin Islands 6-0 in Port-au-Prince as Jean Alexandre helped himself to a second-half brace, while Antigua and Barbuda beat Curacao 5-2.
El Salvador, who reached the World Cup finals in 1970 and 1982, began their quest to reach the 2014 event with a 3-2 win over the Dominican Republic in San Salvador.
A goalless first half gave way to a hugely eventful second, as Rodolfo Zelaya put the hosts ahead in the 53rd minute and the Caribbean nation were reduced to 10 men following the sending-off of Francisco Ubiera three minutes later.
Cristian Bautista doubled El Salvador’s lead before Jhoan Cruz produced a quickfire response for the visitors. Zelaya added his second and El Salvador’s third from the penalty spot in the 77th minute, and substitute Domingo Perlata cut the gap back to one a minute from the end.
Surinam were the other winners in Group A as Friso Mando’s 11th-minute penalty proved enough to beat the Cayman Islands.
In Group E, Guatemala opened with a 4-0 win at home to St Vincent & Grenadines while Grenada lost 2-0 at home to Belize.