Trinidad & Tobago needed to rout Guatemala and hope for a Mexico loss in order to advance in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. Instead, they got a 1-1 draw in the teams' Group A finale on Sunday night at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas — a result that eliminated them from the confederation championship.
The Soca Warriors started their campaign off on the right foot, with Reon Moore waltzing into acres of space in the 12th minute behind the Guatemala backline for a chance he easily converted. Alvin Jones floated a pass that Moore guided deftly just inside the post to open the scoring.
However, Guatemala – a last-minute fill-in for Curacao – made some attempts to equalize through the first half, particularly a Steve Robles shot in the 22nd minute that went too high. They also attempted a free kick in the 31st minute that just evaded the attackers in blue. But neither side could add to the goal total before the referee blew for halftime.
Both teams continued to engineer some chances during the second half, with Guatemala looking more positive more often in the early stretches of the second half. The highlight was a 60th-minute attempt by Rudy Barrientos that forced T&T goalkeeper Marvin Phillip into a diving save.
Kevin Molino, who moved to the Columbus Crew this season, came on for the Soca Warriors as a 67th-minute sub to potentially generate more offense, but Guatemala kept coming with more chances and more pressure shortly after the talisman entered the match.
The 1-1 draw was ultimately sealed in the 77th minute when Gerardo Gordillo powerfully headed home a corner kick. Jones nearly stole a late game-winner in the 86th minute, though his free kick slammed against the crossbar.
Goals
- 12' – TAT – Reon Moore
- 77' – GUA – Gerardo Gordillo
Next Up
- GUA: Tournament over
- TAT: Tournament over
