St. Kitts Nevis beats Haiti in historic match

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – As the 90th minute expired and the whistle was blown, reality quickly set in; St. Kitts and Nevis had beaten its rival Haiti 2-1, and has taken top spot in the CFU Olympic Group D Qualifier Tournament.

It was a battle of the best, with Haiti entering the match with two games under their belt and St. Kitts Nevis having achieved a similar feat.

The atmosphere was tense with supporters of both sides of the game cheering vigorously for their team, hoping to spur them along to victory.

The first half of the game progressed with Haiti, a team known for its technical and offensive game plan, making several attempts to score on its opposition but success in that regard did not come until the 36th minute when Haiti’s Gerald Edwards kicked the ball into the back of St. Kitts Nevis’ nets.

Down one goal entering the second half, the St. Kitts Nevis under-23 team members seemed to have reminded themselves that in order to win, they must protect their territory while making strategic attempts at getting the ball past the opposition’s goal keeper and securely into the back of its nets.

In what some consider a surprise turn of events, Johnny Joseph of Haiti, apparently seeking to pass the ball to one of his team mates, drove the ball into his own nets, securing a goal for the St. Kitts Nevis team in the 78th minute.

The final 10 minutes of the game were tense, with both teams fighting to prove their on-field supremacy. Into the 87th minute, Vice Captain of the St. Kitts Nevis team Javeim Blanchette, seized a glorious opportunity and drove the ball past Haiti’s goal keeper and squarely into the back of the goal.

Tried as they did for the remaining three minutes of the game, Haiti was unsuccessful in securing that other goal which would have leveled the playing field.

As the whistle blew signaling the end of the history-making game, supporters and fans of the host team, sprang onto the field and a spirit of jubilation filled the Warner Park’s Football Stadium.

Members of the Haitian team, however, were far from jubilant and were seen strewn across the football field reportedly tearful at their loss.

This is the first time in history of football in the Caribbean that St. Kitts and Nevis have beaten Haiti at any level of the game. 

St. Kitts and Nevis have now joined the winners of Groups B and C, Trinidad and Tobago and Cuba respectively.  The battle for supremacy continues sometime in August.