The Imps currently have two players vying for qualification for the World Cup via the CONCACAF groups, but it wasn’t a great night for one of those players.
Steve McClaren‘s Jamaica needed a positive result against Curacao to put them in pole position for qualification. A win would have seen them move to within touching distance of the summer tournament, but instead, they rolled over and were beaten 2-0.
Dexter Lembikisa played the whole 90 minutes and, according to Flashscore, was one of the better players for the Reggae Boyz, getting a 6.7 match rating, the joint second highest. That means very little when your side loses, and Curacao put themselves top of the group with their win.
Dick Advocaat’s side scored in each half, Livano Comenencia of Zurich netting after 14 minutes, and Kenji Gorré of Maccabi Haifa notching the second with 22 left on the clock. It leaves Jamaica in a tough position now, needing to beat Bermuda this week to stay in touch.
That’s exactly what Trinidad and Tobago did, winning 3-0 away from home to give themselves a chance of qualification. The Soca Warriors are aiming to be at their second tournament, and despite being third in the group, gave themselves a stronger chance with their win.
Montreal striker Dante Sealey gave them a 10th-minute lead, while Orlando City striker Tyrese Spicer added a second. They were home and hosed by 49 minutes, when Kobi Henry of Real Salt Lake City added a third. Our own interest, Justin Obikwu, got on the field on 67 minutes, but had just ten touches and no shots, with the game already over.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curaçao | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| 2 | Jamaica | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 |
| 3 | Trinidad and Tobago | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| 4 | Bermuda | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
That means this week’s games could be huge – Jamaica will be expected to beat Bermuda, moving onto nine points and boosting that goal difference, and they’ll be hoping Dwight Yorke’s Trinidad, and our own Justin Obikwu, can match the 0-0 draw they achieved earlier in the campaign.
A win for both would set up a huge final round of matches in November.
As for Ivan Varfolomeev, he played 81 minutes of Ukraine Under 21s 3-3 draw with Hungary. His side dominated possession with 69%, and had more shots than their opponents, but for a while, it looked as if Hungary might spring a surprise.
Leverkusen striker Artem Stepanov gave Ukraine an early lead, only for Slovakia-based Máté Tuboly to level matters from the spot after a Nazar Domchak foul. Hungary came out lively and went ahead through Ádin Molnár, but Andriy Matkevych slipped the ball into an empty net for 2-2. On 80 minutes, Hungary led again, this time Frankfurt’s Fenyő Noah netted after a deflected free kick had been saved.
That signalled a change for Ukraine with Varafolomeev hooked. He’s picked up a second-half booking, and was replaced by Empoli striker Bohdan Popov. It spurred Ukraine on, and they got their deserved leveller five minutes later, captain Illya Krupskyi curling the ball in from 16 yards out.
It is still early days in their quest for a spot at Euro 2027, but they lead the way in their group, despite being pegged back. They have a chance to build on their unbeaten start in a couple of days time with a tricky trip to Croatia. They’ll do so without Ivan – his booking means he misses the trip.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine U21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 4 |
| 2 | Turkey U21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 |
| 3 | Hungary U21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Croatia U21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Lithuania U21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |