Sheffield Wednesday star's World Cup dream takes major twist as exciting youngster shines
Sheffield Wednesday’s international contingent experienced a series of mixed fortunes in the first half of the November international break.
Sheffield Wednesday striker Bailey Cadamarteri’s dream of going to next summer’s World Cup with Jamaica is hanging in the balance after they drew 1-1 with Trinidad and Tobago in their penultimate qualifier on Thursday night.
The Reggae Boyz went into the clash with Trinidad and Tobago knowing a victory, coupled with a defeat for Curaçao against Bermuda, would have seen them secure top spot in their qualifying group and book their place at next summer’s showpiece event in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
However, Steve McClaren’s side conceded with just five minutes to go, meaning they were held to a 1-1 draw, after Kevin Molino cancelled out Renaldo Cephas’ opener. To make matters worse, Curaçao brushed Bermuda aside, winning 7-0, to leapfrog Jamaica and go top of the group with just one qualifier remaining.
Jamaica, who did not call upon Cadamarteri’s services against Trinidad and Tobago, leaving him on the bench, must now beat Curaçao on Tuesday night to automatically qualify for the World Cup. The latter sit top of the group on 11 points, while Jamaica occupy second spot on ten points.
The previous meeting between the two teams in October finished in a 2-0 win for Curaçao. Should Jamaica and Cadamarteri miss out on top spot and automatic qualification, they could still potentially qualify for the World Cup via a play-off round.
Grainger shines for Wales U19s
On a more positive note, Wednesday youngster Will Grainger played a starring role in helping Wales’ Under-19s kick-off their mini international tournament with a 3-2 win over Japan on Wednesday evening, scoring and providing an assist.
Making his competitive debut for the U19s, the 16-year-old created the opener after just eight minutes, sending in a dangerous cross that was turned home by Josh Gentles after collecting the ball inside his own half and galloping forward. Three minutes later, he grabbed a goal of his own, caressing a brilliant left-footed strike into the bottom corner from outside the penalty area.
Although Wales quickly squandered their two-goal lead, being pegged back by half-time, they found a way to win the contest in the fourth minute of injury time when Cruz Allen, who had replaced Grainger after 67 minutes, curled home a free-kick. Owls goalkeeper Logan Stretch, meanwhile, was an unused substitute.
Harry Amass played the full 90 minutes for England’s U19s as they started their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Lithuania on Wednesday. Chelsea’s Shumaira Mheuka grabbed both goals, scoring either side of half-time.
The Three Lions youngsters play again on Saturday, taking on Latvia, before locking horns with Scotland on Tuesday. Both games will be played in Lithuania.
Elsewhere on the international scene, Sean Fusire, who is poised to be part of Zimbabwe’s plans for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), stored 45 minutes under his belt as his team was beaten 3-1 by Algeria in an international friendly in Saudi Arabia.
After finding themselves 3-0 down by half-time, Zimbabwe pulled a goal back with 88 minutes on the clock via a Tawanda Chirewa penalty. Zimbabwe play again before the end of this international window, facing Qatar on Monday, meaning Fusire, who started in midfield against Algeria, could store more minutes under his belt.
Yan Valery, who was called-up by Tunisia, did not feature in his nation’s 1-1 draw with Mauritania on Wednesday. They are scheduled to play two more games during this international break, facing Jordan later today (Friday) and Brazil on Tuesday, meaning Valery could feature in both of those contests.