Trinidad and Tobago in Concacaf Beach Soccer 'quarters'

Trinidad and Tobago beach soccer players survived a scare against Turks and Caicos on Wednesday, before winning 7-5 to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2021 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championships in Costa Rica.

TT held an early four-goal cushion but Turks and Caicos fought back to set up a nervous finish.

TT advanced as one of the top third-place teams, and will now face El Salvador on Friday. The finalists in the Concacaf Championships will qualify for the 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup.

It took less than five minutes for TT to open up a 3-0 advantage with goals from captain Ryan Augustine, goalkeeper Jabari Gray and Shallun Bobb, who scored a header.

Turks and Caicos looked out of the contest as Gray gave TT another goal before the end of period one.

But Turks and Caicos looked like a different unit in the second period and halved the deficit in quick time.

In the fifth minute of the period, TT goalkeeper Zane Coker missed a clearance outside his area and Alex Bryan slotted home. In the next minute, Ledson Jerome made it 4-2 with a header.

However, TT's Bobb got his second goal with a looping header found from a corner kick.

What appeared to be an innocuous strike from Turks and Caicos player Herby Magny made it 5-3 as it beat the outstretched hand of Coker.

Seconds later, McDougall made it 6-3 for TT at the end of the second period as he slotted home from a few yards out.

Turks and Caicos continued to battle and were rewarded in the sixth minute of the final period when Magny converted a header and with less than two minutes remaining, Jeff Beljour made the TT players nervous as he pulled back another goal to make the score 6-5.

But McDougall ensured TT came away with the win with a goal in the final minute.