Trinidad and Tobago’s senior women’s team showed immense heart on Wednesday night, fighting back from two goals down to earn a gutsy 2-2 draw against Honduras at the Estadio Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa .
The result keeps T&T’s World Cup dreams alive, setting the stage for a “winner-takes-all” showdown against group leader El Salvador on April 18 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo, Port-of-Spain.
The hosts took an early lead through two Allyson Reed strikes in the ninth and 21st minutes, leaving the T&T women with a mountain to climb. However, T&T refused to fold. Kedie Johnson halved the deficit from the penalty spot in the 41st minute after a Honduran handball, sending the teams into the break at 2-1.
T&T intensified their pressure in the second half and were finally rewarded in the 87th minute when Nikita Gosine stepped up to bury a second penalty, securing a vital point for the visitors.
Coach Damian Briggs praised his team’s tactical discipline and mental toughness following the comeback. He noted that while lapses in concentration led to the early goals, he never felt the team was out of the game. Briggs highlighted the players’ ability to stick to the game plan and maintain their belief even when trailing.
“There were times when we stuck to our game plan. From a tactical standpoint, I thought we were good, and it was good for the players to see, even though they were two-nil down, they didn’t go away from the belief and how we wanted to play and stuff like that,” said Briggs.
With El Salvador currently leading Group F after dominant wins over Honduras and Barbados, the equation for T&T is now simple: they must win their final group match to advance. Only the group winner moves on to the final qualifying round of eight.
Briggs is now looking toward the home advantage in April, hoping the local crowd will act as a “12th player” to boost the team past the Salvadorians and into the next stage of qualification.
