By Rawle Toney
It was another despicable performance from the Barbados Tridents, this time a 5 – 0 drubbing from the Dominican Republic on Friday evening at the Wildey Astroturf.
Barbados has now conceded 13 goals in the Nations League, solidifying their position as the team with the highest number of goals conceded in the entire three tiers of the Concacaf tournament.
The Tridents are still in search of their first victory after three matches and are scheduled to compete again on October 16 in a return fixture against the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo.
Friday’s defeat followed Coach Orlando De Costa’s men’s previous 5-0 loss to Nicaragua in Managua and their 3-2 result against Montserrat at the start of their campaign at home.
As for the Dominican Republic, the win over the Tridents was their second of the tournament, having also defeated Montserrat 3-0 but falling 0-2 to an undefeated Nicaragua.
Despite the fans turning out in large numbers at the St Michael facility, hoping for a turnaround and the Tridents’ first win in League B’s Group B of the Nations League, their hopes were quickly dashed when Dorney Romeo put the visitors in the lead in the seventh minute.
Throughout their Nations League campaign, the Tridents have struggled defensively, with Romeo’s goal coming from a tap-in after the Bajans looked disjointed in their attempt to stop a combination play from the Dominican Republic men.
Goalkeeper Liam Brathwaite’s inconsistent performance between the sticks continued, and he was the last line of defence to be beaten when Edarlin Reyes capitalised on a counter-attack to score at the far post.
A free-kick just before halftime led to a third Dominican Republic goal, forcing an own goal from Ramon Griffith.
At halftime, with the score at 3-0, some fans started to leave the Wildey venue, while those who stayed witnessed a more purposeful performance from Barbados in the second half.
Austria-based Theirry Gale stood out, but his solo efforts were thwarted by resolute defence from the Dominican Republic.
Gale had a promising moment midway through the second half with former Bury FC forward Hallam Hope, but the Englishman couldn’t find his footing, resulting in a missed opportunity for Barbados.
Goals from Heinz Mörschel (57′) and Riki Alba (88′) added to the Dominican Republic’s dominance, intensifying the worries for Barbados, who now face the prospect of relegation to League C.
“To be honest, I don’t have much to say because we lost 5-0,” Coach De Costa told Barbados TODAY after the match. “We must be humble and acknowledge the strength of the opposing team.”
According to De Costa, the Barbados side, predominantly composed of players from the BFA’s Premier League, pales in comparison to the professional players in other teams in their group.
“The Dominican Republic belongs to another level. To be honest, they deserved to win,” De Costa stated. “Simply put, all the players from overseas play in the Premier League … the Dominican Republic’s Premier League is professional, with players having more intensity and better fitness conditions.”
De Costa acknowledged that his team has room for improvement in every area of the pitch, but facing teams like the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua exposes their shortcomings.
Looking ahead, De Costa said that Barbados will aim to correct their mistakes in Santo Domingo and remains optimistic that the Tridents can avoid elimination and stay in Group B.
(RT)
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