Trinidad & Tobago's Dwight Yorke (l) in duel met Bahreins Rashed Abdulrahman.

Leo Beenhakker

Supporters van Trinidad & Tobago vieren de kwalificatie voor het WK.

Reuters

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Update: 16-11-2005

Trinidad & Tobago plaatste zich voor het eindtoernooi door in Bahrein met 1-0 te winnen. Gevoegd bij de 1-1 van afgelopen weekeinde was dat voldoende om de reis naar Duitsland te mogen boeken. Verdediger Dennis Lawrence, die in Engeland uitkomt voor Wrexham, was in de 50ste minuut de maker van het enige doelpunt van de wedstrijd in Manamah. Hij kopte uit een hoekschop van voormalig Manchester United-spits Dwight Yorke de 0-1 binnen.

In de slotfase dacht Bahrein alsnog een verlenging af te dwingen, maar de Colombiaanse arbiter Ruiz Acosta keurde de treffer terecht af. De opstootjes die daarop volgden, kostten Hussain Ali Baba een rode kaart.

Uitbundige stemming "Ik zag huilende spelers in de kleedkamer", liet Beenhakker niet lang na het eindsignaal de Nederlandse pers weten. "Langzaam veranderde dat in een uitbundige stemming. Logisch. Dit zijn jongens die over het algemeen op een bescheiden niveau spelen. Als je dan met je land voor het eerst in de historie aan een WK mag deelnemen is iedereen natuurlijk intens blij."

Trinidad & Tobago is na Cuba (1938), Haïti (1974) en Jamaica (1998) het vierde Caribische land dat gaat deelnemen aan het WK. Voor Beenhakker wordt het zijn tweede optreden op het hoogste mondiale voetbalpodium. De Rotterdammer was bondscoach van Oranje tijdens het WK van 1990 in Italië. Europees titelhouder Nederland werd toen in de achtste finales uitgeschakeld door latere wereldkampioen Duitsland.

Vierde Leo Beenhakker moet formeel nog tot overeenstemming moet komen met de bond van Trinidad over contractverlenging. Hij wil graag verder. "Maar er zal nog wel wat gepraat moeten worden. En dan gaat het niet om geld. Er zal qua infrastructuur veel veranderd moeten worden willen we ons goed kunnen voorbereiden op het WK. Wij hebben plannen, die ze wel moeten accepteren."

Als Beenhakker eruit komt met de Midden-Amerikanen, is hij de vierde Nederlandse coach die op het WK een ploeg leidt. Marco van Basten plaatste zich reeds met Oranje, Dick Advocaat is sinds kort bondscoach van Zuid-Korea en Guus Hiddink ging Beenhakker woensdag voor met plaatsing voor de wereldtitelstrijd. "Kunnen we klaverjassen", zag Beenhakker meteen al een voordeel...

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Na de verassende, maar verdiende zege van Trinidad en Tobago op Bahrein, heeft de premier van T&T besloten om 17 november tot een nationale feestdag uit te roepen. In de Trinidad Express staat de volgende officiele mededeling: "Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has declared Thursday, 17th November, 2005, as a public holiday in celebration of Trinidad and Tobago's victory in the World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain.

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WK-furore Nederlandse bondscoaches

RIJSWIJK - Het Nederlandse trainersgilde is met vier bondscoaches zeer sterk vertegenwoordigd bij het wereldkampioenschap voetbal in Duitsland. Naast Marco van Basten (met Oranje) en Dick Advocaat (Zuid-Korea) verzekerden woensdag ook Guus Hiddink (Australië) en Leo Beenhakker (Trinidad en Tobago) zich van een WK-optreden komende zomer.

Nooit eerder was de technische inbreng van Nederland bij het WK zo groot. Het oude record werd in 1994 bij het WK in de Verenigde Staten gevestigd. Toen waren Advocaat (met Oranje) en Clemens Westerhof (Nigeria) namens Nederland actief. Het recordaantal bondscoaches uit hetzelfde land staat nog altijd op naam van Frankrijk. Tijdens het WK van 1998 in eigen land hadden liefst vijf Franse trainers de leiding bij een nationale ploeg. Het waren Henri Michel (Marokko), Aimé Jacquet (Frankrijk), Philippe Troussier (Zuid-Afrika), Claude Le Roy (Kameroen) en Henryk Kasperczak (Tunesië).

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MAS IN GERMANY

T&T beat Bahrain to win World Cup ticket

Thursday, November 17th 2005

Football fans take Frederick Street, Port of Spain, by storm following Trinidad and Tobago's victory in Bahrain

"This year after Carnival,

I am heading to the North

Guess where? Up in Germany,

that's where I'm going to be

Ah just have the feeling that we should be spreading this creole bacchanal..."

When Lord Kitchener sang that celebratory calypso, "Mas in Germany", he might not have imagined that some 30 years later Trinidad and Tobago's national football team would, in fact, be heading for Germany three months after Carnival, accompanied by what Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation consultant, Jack Warner, promised yesterday, would be a colourful cultural contingent such as has never before seen in the history of World Cup football.

That imaginary trip became fact when, to the delight of thousands of Trinbagonians who poured out into the streets after the final whistle, Trinidad & Tobago beat Bahrain 1-0 on a Dennis Lawrence 49th minute goal in yesterday's play-off match Wednesday to qualify for the 2006 World Cup Football Finals in Germany, thus becoming the fourth Caribbean team to qualify for a World Cup Finals tournament, after Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica.

Unwilling to risk everything in an all-out attacking effort at first, Trinidad and Tobago's "Warriors" and the home team cancelled each other out during a cagey opening phase.

The first opening fell to Mohamed Hubail, but his eighth minute effort following a corner failed to penetrate a forest of legs in the box.

The visitors' first shot at goal arrived on 13 minutes but Christopher Birchall, saw his drive blocked and suffered a game-ending injury from the play. He was replaced by Silvio Spann.

Trinidad and Tobago, eight-time Caribbean Cup champions, stepped up a gear midway through the half with Dwight Yorke a constant menace in and around the penalty area, although clear-cut chances were few and far between.

The home crowd held its collective breath on the half-hour when Stern John was left with only keeper Hussein Ali Hassan to beat following Kenwyne Jones' flicked header, but the shot-stopper raced from his line to narrow the angle and deflect the striker's shot round the post.

Despite the home side's increasingly defensive tactics, Bahrain almost took the lead when visiting keeper Kelvin Jack totally misjudged a floated ball into the box.

Fortunately for Jack, Scotland-based Rangers defender Marvin Andrews was covering in front of goal.

Bahrain made the better start to the second half, but Hubail narrowly failed to connect from close range on 48 minutes after a diagonal ball into the box.

Trinidad and Tobago raced up the other end and won a corner, curled straight onto Lawrence's forehead by Yorke.

The defender's header evaded a sea of bodies and landed in the net, sparking an outbreak of delirious celebration from coach Beenhakker and his team.

John might have wrapped things up just a minute later, but Hassan proved equal to the striker's angled drive.

The game now assumed a totally different character to the first 45 minutes as Bahrain poured forward in search of salvation, while Trinidad and Tobago pursued a second goal to make the game safe.

A string of chances followed at both ends of the park.

Ahmed Hassan hit the side-netting with a 62nd minute free-kick and Lawrence almost turned villain with a 77th minute clearance dangerously close to his own goal.

The men from the Caribbean came close to doubling the advantage on several occasions.

Jones' first-time drive on 73 minutes proved an easy take for the keeper, before sub Russell Latapy conjured up some magic six minutes later with a nimble turn and shot against the crossbar.

Bahrain coach Peruzovic threw the dice one last time with a four-man front line for the frantic closing stages, but the Trinidadians held out with a mixture of skill and good fortune to emerge triumphant from a breathless finale, in which Hussain Ali Baba was given his marching orders.

Though the home side thought they had pulled a late equaliser, the scoreline stood as best mates Dwight Yorke and late substitute Russell Latapy tearfully celebrated an end to the 16 years of pain that began when they lost out cruelly on a spot at Italy 90 as much younger men.

Thirty-two years ago-the last time the finals were held in Germany-a tiny island from the Caribbean pulled off a minor sensation on the strength of a cheated victory against Trinidad and Tobago that resulted in the officiating referee being banned for life. Surely now T&T will now have put to rest the disappointments of that year as well as 1989 as they prepare for next year's finals kick off in June.

Defeat, however, was too much for the Bahrainis who lost their composure at the end when defender Hussain Ali Hasan was sent off and threw seat covers and other missiles onto the pitch

The win also sees CONCACAF with four representatives-Mexico, USA and Costa Rica also there-at the finals for the first time in the confederation's history.

TEAM TRINIDAD & TOBAGO-Kelvin Jack, Avery John, Marvin Andrews, Dennis Lawrence, Chris Birchall (Sylvio Spann-13th), Aurtis Whitley, Cyd Gray, Carlos Edwards, Kenwyne Jones (Russell Latapy-67th), Dwight Yorke, Stern John.

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November 17 - Public holiday

Thursday, November 17th 2005

It's official-today is a public holiday.

In a statement around 6.30 p.m. yesterday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning declared today a public holiday in celebration of the Soca Warriors' World Cup qualifying victory over Bahrain.

The message coming out of the Office of the Prime Minister at Whitehall read :

"Prime Minister Patrick Manning announced that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has declared Thursday, 17th November, 2005, as a public holiday in celebration of Trinidad and Tobago's victory in the World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain (this afternoon).

"Information received from football officials in Bahrain indicates that the entire team, with the exception of Russell Latapy, is scheduled to arrive in Trinidad and Tobago at 12.05 p.m. tomorrow. The Government encourages citizens to use the holiday to participate fully in the welcome celebrations which will start at the Piarco International Airport and continue with a drive to Port of Spain," the release said.