Dantaye Gilbert, Real Gill and Justin Garcia scored first-half goals as Trinidad and Tobago’s senior men came from behind to beat Antigua and Barbuda 3-2 in the first leg of their Concacaf Gold Cup play-in on Thursday night. The match was played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in St John’s, Antigua. It was Derek King’s first win since he took charge as head coach.
Antigua took the lead in the third minute. Sean Tomlinson’s header from a corner took a deflection off Ryan Telfer and slipped through goalkeeper Denzil Smith’s grasp. T&T equalised in the 15th minute when Gill threaded a ball into the box for Gilbert, whose shot squeezed through goalkeeper Shahoi Dorsett.
Gill put T&T ahead in the 25th minute, seconds after an earlier goal was ruled offside. He exchanged passes with Molik Khan and struck low into the left corner. Garcia made it 3-1 in the 45th minute with a finish into the bottom right corner from Khan’s curling pass.
T&T defended steadily after the break. Khan sent a clear chance over the bar in the 72nd minute. Substitute Brandon Satchell pulled one back for Antigua in the second minute of added time. Referee Adonis Carrasco of the Dominican Republic ended the match shortly after.
The second leg is Monday, Nov. 16, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port of Spain. The away goals rule applies at this stage, and the winner advances to the Gold Cup Preliminaries in June 2027.