Antigua and Barbuda went home to face Aruba with a comfortable 3-0 lead in the aggregate. The Antiguans did not do themselves any favors, however, by having two players ejected before the hour mark, including their captain George Dublin right before halftime. Schyan Jeffers also picked up a red card. If Aruba had any hope of scoring three goals, it increased exponentially with the two-man advantage. Unfortunately, the Arubans were unable to do anything to score and in fact gave up a goal with the huge advantage. They were lucky to surrender only one because Antiguan player Troy Simon missed a penalty kick during the match. Damien Farrell picked up two yellows after the eighty-fifth minute, including one in stoppage, and was also sent off. Antigua and Barbuda finished the game with only eight players yet came out with a 1-0 win as well. It is too bad that the Antiguans decided to be on their absolute worst behavior, because now three starting players are suspended for the first match against Cuba.Neighbors Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic had a one-off battle in Bayamón. It was expected to be intense, but it was not expected to be close as Puerto Rico were heavy favorites. Well, the match ended up being one for the ages. In fact, ninety mintues were not enough to determine a victor. A scoreless regular time gave way to a dramatic extra period. Both coaches had been stingy with their substitutions in regular time; Dominican Republic had one left and Puerto Rico still had two. Puerto Rico converted a penalty six minutes in and promptly focused on retaining the slim margin. When the final whistle blew, the Puerto Ricans could breath a sigh of relief, knowing that the one-goal shutout was good enough to give them a shot at Honduras.
El Salvador had their victory parade in the form of a second match against hapless Anguilla. Going home with a 12-0 aggregate lead, the Salvadorians had little to play for but boosting their goal totals. Anguilla were playing to salvage their pride. With a date to play Panamá all but assured, El Salvador grabbed a four-goal lead in the first half and then coasted into the second round with a 16-0 aggregate romp.
Netherlands Antilles came home to Willemstad with a surprising 1-0 aggregate lead over Nicaragua. The return leg was also remarkably successful for Netherlands Antilles. After taking a one-goal lead into the half, the crowd in Willemstad was witness to a mental implosion by Nicaragua's Eustace Martin, who pulled drew two yellow cards in a two-minute span and was expelled from the game at the hour mark. Down a man, the Nicaraguans needed a miracle, but none came and the final score in Willemstad was 2-0. The two cards for Martin were part of a collection of five yellows in total for Nicaragua. Netherlands Antilles will face Haiti in the next round.
Belize were looking to book a second round date with México. The only thing standing in their way was the team from St. Kitts and Nevis, a dangerous outfit despite a 3-1 aggregate deficit. The crowd at Basseterre was hoping for their home side to make a comeback in the tie, but a late goal in the first half by Belize meant that St. Kitts and Nevis had to score three goals in order to send the tie into extra time. They managed to pull one goal back, but it was too little too late and now Belize can look forward to facing their powerful neighbor in June.
Goal scorers:
Antigua and Barbuda: Challenger 86
Puerto Rico: Villegas 96 PK
El Salvador: Cerritos 8; Corrales 15; Monteagudo 23; Torres 35
Netherlands Antilles: Loran 42; Zimmerman 81
Belize: E. Smith 41
St. Kitts and Nevis: Mitchum 82
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