Barbados sunk to a 5-1 defeat on Monday evening against Nicaragua in their latest CONCACAF Nation League fixture, with a performance that can only be described as dismal and lethargic.
The Nicaragua National Football Stadium in Managua, with a capacity of 20,000, was almost filled to the brim for the first meeting between the two sides in the Central American country.
Unfortunately, it was one that the Tridents would like to quickly forget, as the lopsided defeat left them bottom of their group and in a fight to avoid relegation to League C.
Barbados had entered the campaign hoping to rebound from their opening round 3-2 defeat against Montserrat.
However, the opening whistle marked the beginning of a challenging night for Barbados goalkeeper Liam Brathwaite.
Despite conceding five goals, the scoreline would have been much worse had it not been for the 22-year-old making several crucial saves.
Nicaragua opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Ariagner Smith’s header from a corner kick found the back of the net.
Juan Luis Pérez RodrÃguez doubled the home side’s lead in the 40th minute, capitalising on ample space outside the 18-yard box and delivering a powerful shot that was too well-timed and well-placed for Brathwaite to stop.
Jaime Moreno, who would finish the night with a brace, continually troubled Barbados’ defenders.
His first goal came from the penalty spot just before halftime. Brathwaite did well to save the initial penalty, however, Moreno scored on the rebound.
Facing a 3-0 deficit at halftime, Tridents’ head coach Orlando DaCosta made several changes during the break.
Andreas Applewhaite replaced UK-based Curtis Hutson on the wing, Niall Reid-Stephen came in for former England youth international defender Krystian Pearce, Elijah Downey replaced Terrence Smith, Nadre Butcher took Hallam Hope’s place, and Abdullah Javaid substituted for Shaquan Collymore.
Despite these changes, Barbados struggled to mount any threatening attacks, while Nicaragua continued to dominate the Tridents, leaving Brathwaite to prevent further humiliation.
Brathwaite’s heroics had their limits, as demonstrated when Jacob Montes made good on a defensive lapse in the 68th minute, to extend Nicaragua’s lead to 4-0.
Brathwaite made another save in the 76th minute, this time from Josué Quijano’s shot, but Moreno was there once again to convert the rebound, making it 5-0..
The Tridents got a consolation goal In the 89th minute when Reid-Stephen, a second-half substitute, was fouled just outside the penalty area, resulting in a straight red card from Guatemalan referee Bryan Lopez for the advancing Nicaraguan goalkeeper, Miguel Agurcia.
Thierry Gale stepped up to take the free-kick, curling a perfectly-taken shot over the Nicaraguan wall to secure his second goal in the Nations League this season.
Gales’ masterpiece was Barbados’ only shot on goal during the entire 90-minute contest, compared to Nicaragua’s 19 attempts.
In two matches, Barbados has conceded eight goals while scoring just three.
Looking ahead, Barbados will face back-to-back clashes with the Dominican Republic, first at home on October 13, followed by an away match on October 16.
The Nations League campaign will conclude with a home fixture against Nicaragua on November 17 and an away rematch with Montserrat on November 20.
