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FIFA WORLD CUP 2002 - REVIEW OF MATCHES IN MAY 2000
Reviewed by PETER GODFREY
There were only 10 World Cup Preliminary Round matches played during May and these were all in the CONCACAF Confederation.
The biggest shock came in Group 1, where favourites Cuba were held 1 - 1 in the first leg in Havana by a Barbados side containing only one full time professional. In the return match in Bridgetown the score was level at 1 - 1 after extra time. Barbados then scored all five of their penalties while Alexander Driggs missed Cuba's fifth penalty and put the home side through to Group E of the Semi-Final Groups.
In the Central American Group B Panama, after losing to Honduras 3 - 1, needed to win by four clear goals against Nicaragua to go through as Group winners and send Honduras into the Interzone match. With no goals being scored in the first half the prospects for Panama did not look good, but four second half goals saw them through to Semi-Final Group C.
Central American Group A was a more clear-cut group with El Salvador going through to Semi-Final Group D after a goalless draw at home to Guatemala, who now have to play Antigua & Barbuda, who were beaten by St Vincent & Grenadines, in an Interzone Finals.
Trinidad and Tobago were the other Caribbean team to progress to the Semi-Final Groups with a comfortable 4 - 1 aggregate win over Haiti.
With interest in Europe centred on the European Championships in June, World Cup Preliminary Round matches take place in South America (CONMEBOL) where there are 10 matches, Africa (CAF) where there are 10 matches in the second round taking place, and CONCACAF where the Interzone matches to decide the final teams to go into the Semi-Final groups are played.