Tempers didn’t flare but the mood in the Trinidad and Tobago dressing room would have left anyone with the feeling that the National Senior Footballers had just suffered a most disappointing defeat following its 2-2 draw with El Salvador at the Estadio Cuscatlan on Wednesday night.
In the end, the “Soca Warriors” were made to rue several second half chances including an early second half penalty which Bristol City striker Stern John fired over bar after slipping prior to executing with his right foot.
Francisco Maturana offered no sympathy for the drawn match.
“In a World Cup qualifying campaign to get one point away from home is generally not a bad result . But because of the way this game developed, we leave here with a very bitter taste in us,” Maturana told TTFF Media.
“During the game we had several chanced and we played well. At some moments it looked as if we would win by a large margin but El Salvador came back with a lot of heart and they ended happier than we did.
“We wanted first of all to protect that two goal lead but also get opportunities to increase and we had some chances that we did not capitalize on. But we also did not protect the lead.
“We had to be very careful with Dwight and Chris in the midfield because they had yellow cards but otherwise the instructions to maintain the lead.”
Asked whether his team panicked late in the match, he responded.
“There was no panic. This team has shown very good character in a lot of very difficult situations. The issue of travelling could have affected us but it’s no excuse even though it could have caused a lack of concentration. The goal that they scored came from a throw in that was our throw. They threw a very quick throw and caught us which led to the free kick and that could be as a result of some mental fatigue,”Maturana added.
When quizzed by reporters as to whether Assistant Coach/Player Russell Latapy should have been on the field, Maturana replied “No. I don’t even think that he thought was ready to play. He was very entrenched in what was going on the field of play and very entrenched in his role as an assistant coach. I don’t even think he even had his shoes on.”
T&T will miss the services of Yorke, Clayton Ince and Chris Birchall in the next home match against Honduras on March 28 because of suspension.
“That is definitely something we will have to reassess because these are two players we will have to replace in the middle of our game,” Maturana added.
Latapy assured the T&T team that all was not lost and it was in fact the beginning of a final round journey to South Africa that is still very much alive.
At the end of the match, several soldiers had to form a protective barrier using shields to allow the T&T team members to exit the dressing room on their way to the team bus a little less than 100 metres away. And prior to the team’s closing prayer before departing the dressing room there was a five-minute period where several racial slurs were directed at the T&T team from home fans who were on the opposite end of the wall separating the room.
El Salvador President Antonio Saca announced on matchday too that his Government would reward the El Salvador team USD10,000 for every goal scored in Wednesday’s match. The T&T home-based players return home via Panama City on Copa Airlines at 5pm on Thursday while the other overseas pros travel back to their respective destinations.
El Salvador fined US$25,300.
T&T Express Reports.
El Salvador will have to pay a fine of 30,000 Swiss francs (US$25,300) for an inability to control its fans during their 2-2 2010 World Cup qualifying draw against Trinidad and Tobago on February 11 at San Salvador's Estadio Cuscatlan.
Throughout the match, debris rained onto the field and despite three announcements over the public address system exhorting the crowd to stop, the shower of cups and other missiles continued. World governing body FIFA frowned on that behaviour and fined El Salvador.
Also after the match, Trinidad and Tobago captain Dwight Yorke received a four-match suspension and a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs (US$4,200) for confronting Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez and his assistants following the final whistle.
Rodriguez claimed Yorke cursed him twice, drawing a post-match expulsion. But in an official statement by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, Yorke has denied the accusation and has appealed the ban. If upheld, Yorke will be unavailable for T&T's next home game against Honduras on March 28, the away game against the United States April 1, another home game June 6 against Costa Rica and an away match in Mexico on June 10.
And in other sanctions taken by FIFA's disciplinary committee, Mexico will have to do without Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez and assistant coach Francisco Ramirez for their next two World Cup qualifying matches.
Marquez was banned for crashing into and kicking US goalkeeper Tim Howard in the Americans' 2-0 victory which earned him a red card.
Assistant coach Ramirez was also issued a two-match suspension from the same game for a confrontation with US player Frankie Hejduk in the tunnel under Crew Stadium. Video showed him slapping the defender.
The suspensions will force the pair to miss Mexico's home game against Costa Rica on March 28 and their away contest at Honduras on April 1.