Curaçao wins maiden Caribbean Cup

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

On Sunday, Curaçao’s football team won their first Caribbean Cup defeating the defending champions Jamaica 2–1.

Elson Hooi opened the scoring for Curaçao in the tenth minute. The defending champions were trailing the team ranked 70th in the FIFA ranking. Rosario Harriott scored an equaliser for the Jamaicans after a free-kick in the 82nd minute of the game. But within two minutes, Hooi, who previously played for Dutch football clubs NAC Breda and FC Volendam, netted another goal, restoring Curaçao’s lead. The match ended 2–1.

In 2013’s competition, Curaçao did not manage to win a single game. Before Sunday’s final, Curaçao’s goalkeeper said, “Being in the final is a wonderful feeling”. He added, “But I must say, Jamaica is a dangerous team. They have no European players in their team and they are still in the final. They have speed, unity and physical players. So, on Sunday, we need to work hard for our victory.” He won the 2016–17 KNVB Cup with Dutch Eredivisie (Dutch league) club SBV Vitesse.

Curaçao defeated hosts Martinique 2–1 in the semi-final. In the third-place decider, French Guiana defeated Martinique 1–0. Sloan Privat scored the only goal of the match in the 74th minute. Curaçao, Martinique, French Guiana, and Jamaica are to play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup which is scheduled to be played next month in the United States. Curaçao has never featured in a Gold Cup tournament.

Curaçao’s starting lineup consisted of Rangelo Janga, Jarchinio Antonia, Elson Hooi, Gevaro Nepomuceno, Dustley Mulder, Leandro Bacuna, Gillian Justiana, Darryl Lachman, Quentin Jakoba, and Cuco Martina, with Eloy Room guarding the nets.