Suriname, Curacao, Nicaragua, and Guatemala opened their Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers account on a winning note, while Trinidad and Tobago had to come from behind to secure a point against Grenada in Second Round action across the region on Wednesday.

While the four winners pocketed three points to take pole positions in their respective groups, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada shared the spoils after a 2-2 stalemate, and so too did Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda, who battled to a 1-1 scoreline.

Antigua and Barbuda vs Bermuda

Antigua and Barbuda and Bermuda locked horns in Group A at the ABFA Technical Centre in Piggotts.

Raheem Deterville sent the hosts in front with a 26th-minute strike from inside of the penalty arc. The assist came from a long pass over the top by D’Andre Bishop.

However, Bermuda rescued a point in the 90th through Sachiel Ming, who picked up a pass from Kane Crichlow and slotted home from close range.

Up next for Antigua and Barbuda is a trip to the Cayman Islands on Saturday, while Bermuda will host Honduras on Sunday at the Bermuda National Sports Centre.

Suriname vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname registered a comfortable 4-1 victory over Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to get their Group F campaign going at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadium in Paramaribo.

Oalex Anderson gave St Vincent and Grenadines a dream start, when he pounced on a loose ball and converted in the 31st minute.

But Sheraldo Becker pulled Suriname level in the 39th from the penalty spot after Immanuel-Johannes Pherai was taken down inside the danger area.

Jeredy Hilterman then pushed Suriname ahead in the 45+3 minutes as he rose above defenders to head home from Pherai’s weighted cross.

From 2-1 at the break, Suriname wasted little time to press the ascendancy on the resumption, as Justin Lonwijk pushed them further ahead with a well-taken 46th-minute effort, to make it 3-1.

Jaden Montnor then capped the win in the 70th minute.

Suriname will visit Anguilla on Saturday, while Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will remain in Suriname to play host to El Salvador, at the same venue, on Sunday.

Trinidad and Tobago vs. Grenada

Trinidad and Tobago’s opener produced a less than desirable outcome, as they had to dig deep for the 2-2 stalemate with Grenada in Group B action at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

The Soca Warriors found themselves on the backfoot when Myles Hippolyte converted a 24th-minute penalty to gift Grenada an early lead, after the ball was handled inside the red zone.

And before they could catch their breaths, Grenada doubled the lead four minutes later when Hippolyte rifled home off the volley, beating Trinidad and Tobago’s custodian Denzil Smith, all ends up in the 28th minute.

Needing to respond, Trinidad and Tobago did just that through Ryan Telfer, who got on the end of a through pass from Reon Moore and calmly slotted home in the 43rd to make it 2-1 at the break.

Moore later found the equalizer in the 74th from a well-worked counter attack to secure a share of the spoils.

Trinidad and Tobago will next be away to Bahamas on Saturday in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, with Grenada to host Costa Rica on Sunday in St. George's.

Curaçao vs. Barbados

Curaçao began their campaign with a tidy 4-1 victory over Barbados in Group C action at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad.

Rangelo Janga opened the scoring in the 25th with a close range effort.

Curacao had to wait until the 62nd to double their lead as Janga again found space inside the area to slot home. He completed his hat-trick in the 85th from the penalty spot.

Niall Reid-Stephen pulled one back for Barbados in the 90+2, also from the 12-yard spot. But Gervane Kastaneer found another for Curacao which served as icing on the cake.

Curaçao will visit Aruba in Oranjestad on Saturday, while Barbados will host Haiti in Bridgetown on Sunday.

Nicaragua vs. Montserrat

Nicaragua also completed a 4-1 win over Montserrat in Group D at the National Football Stadium in Managua.

It was a frantic start to the contest, as the host went ahead through Jaime Moreno, who expertly headed home in the fourth minute. But Brandon Barzey pulled Montserrat level in the 10th.

However, that was all the visitors would get as Junior Arteaga pushed Nicaragua back in front with a well-taken 23rd-minute freekick.

Jacob Montes fired home from the edge of the 18-yard box to extend the lead in the 70^th, before Harold Medina capped the win in the 90+3.

Nicaragua will visit Belize on Saturday in Belmopan. Montserrat will remain in Managua to face Panama on Sunday.

Guatemala vs. Dominica

Guatemala registered the widest victory margin on the day, as they hammered Dominica 6-0 in Group E at the Doroteo Guamuch Flores Stadium in Guatemala City.

Alejandro Galindo started the rout in the third minute, before Allen Yanes headed in an Oscar Santis cross to make it 2-0 in the 28th.

Galindo completed his brace in the 49th when he converted off a follow-up attempt after Glenson Prince’s shot from a distance was kept out.

Rubio Rubin added his name to the scoresheet from a 59th-minute header, before Jose Martinez made it 5-0 in the 79th from a setplay.

Jose Morales capped the win in the 84th with a strike from distance.

Guatemala will play the British Virgin Islands on Saturday, while Dominica hosts Jamaica on Sunday.

The October window of League A of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League is complete. Many players delivered top performances over the course of the matches, yet these 11 players stood out the most at their respective positions.

Goalkeeper

Yannis Clementia, Martinique

Clementia was the only goalkeeper to register back-to-back clean sheets in the window, as he made six saves and three clearances in the two games for Les Matinino.

Defenders

Leo Abena, Suriname

Abena did the job at both ends. He scored in the 4-0 win versus Grenada and had five steals and six clearances over the two games.

Jonathan Rivierez, Martinique

Rivierez was another reason why Martinique did not concede a goal during the window in their two matches. He had a jaw-dropping 14 clearances on top of four steals.

Denil Maldonado, Honduras

Honduras were desperate for an early goal to quell any nerves in their finale against Cuba, and Maldonado came through with a score in the early going. He also had a steal, two clearances and completed 94 percent of his passes.

Alvin Jones, Trinidad and Tobago

Jones has been excellent for the Soca Warriors in helping them finish in the top two in Group A, as he added another goal to his tally and made seven clearances.

Midfielders

Adalberto Carrasquilla, Panama

Carrasquilla continues to show why he is one of the best players in the Concacaf region. He had the opening goal in the 3-0 win versus Guatemala and completed 87 percent of his passes during the window.

Reon Moore, Trinidad and Tobago

Moore seemingly covered every blade of grass for Trinidad and Tobago, scoring two goals and completing 91 percent of his passes.

Luis Palma, Honduras

Palma kept opposing defenders on their toes with a team-leading 11 shots during the two games. He also had an assist in the decisive 4-0 win against Cuba.

Forwards

Edgar Barcenas, Panama

Barcenas delivered the opening goal for Panama in their 2-1 win at Curacao and added an assist and three steals for good measure in the Canaleros’ two matches.

Rangelo Janga, Curacao

Janga was superb for Curacao in October, as he accounted for three of the team’s six goals, including a brace in the 5-3 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. He also completed 100 percent of his passes. 

Demarai Gray, Jamaica

Gray showed his class in Jamaica’s two victories, scoring a goal in each game from five shots and completing 89 percent of his passes.

League A of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League continued on Friday with Panama, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago all collecting pivotal wins.

Curacao vs. Panama

Things in Group A got started at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curacao where visitors Panama topped Curacao 2-1.

Panama is now in second place with seven points, while Curacao have officially been relegated to League B with their third defeat.

Edgar Barcenas of Panama opened the scoring in the 29th on a play that was crafted by midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, who lofted an inch-perfect pass to the running Cristian Martinez and the cutback pass hit Barcenas in stride, making for an easy sweep into net.

Panama doubled their advantage in the second half in the 77th through Jose Rodriguez, who expertly headed in a cross from Barcenas.

Curacao would get on the scoreboard in the waning moments of second half stoppage time, with Rangelo Janga executing a tidy header of his own.

Martinique vs. El Salvador

Martinique made a strong move up the table thanks to a 1-0 victory over El Salvador at the Stade Municipal Pierre-Aliker in Fort-de-France.

Martinique now have six points and sit in third place, while El Salvador, by virtue of this, their third defeat, have officially been relegated to League B.

Just like they did in their Gold Cup group stage meeting over the summer, Martinique struck first in the first half and took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd.

It was a well-crafted goal from Les Matinino, who worked the ball up the field, switching sides before a cross from the right wing by Damien Dussaut hit the cutting Johnny Marajo, whose right-footed shot beat El Salvador goalkeeper Mario Gonzalez.

Martinique then had a great chance at doubling their lead in the 73rd when Brighton Labeau hauled in a pass deep in the area and used an exquisite first touch to have an open look at goal, only to see his shot sail wide.

El Salvador had one final chance in second stoppage time through Mayer Gil, but his shot rang off the post and rolled wide in front of goal, still three points were safe for Martinique.

Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guatemala

The day in Group A then concluded with a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory for Trinidad and Tobago against Guatemala at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

Trinidad and Tobago remain atop the group with nine points, while Guatemala remain in fourth place with four points.

It was a dream start for Guatemala, as Rubio Rubin struck for the opener in the 12th by touching home a shot right in front of goal off a pass from Nathaniel Mendez.

Guatemala doubled their lead in the 32nd when an initial attempt from Oscar Santis was blocked by a defender, but Santis’ follow-up attempt was smashed off the post and in for the goal.

But Trinidad and Tobago responded well and pulled back to within a goal at 2-1 in the 35th when Alvin Jones converted a penalty after Noah Powder had been fouled in the area.

Trinidad and Tobago kept the pressure on and were back on level terms in the 54th when a Neveal Hackshaw header was saved by Guatemala goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen, but Reon Moore was there to hammer home the rebound.

Play remained wide open going into the final half-hour, with Guatemala nearly retaking a lead in the 70th on a Jose Pinto header that hit the crossbar and dropped onto the goal-line before being cleared.

The final says, though, belonged to Trinidad and Tobago, as Nathaniel James, who came off the bench to score a late winner on matchday one against Curacao, did it again, this time firing in a free kick in the 89th to deliver the telling blow.