Havana, February 24 (JIT)-- The Cuban national football team scored a crushing victory over Anguilla in their debut in the CONCACAF U-20 World Cup qualifiers which kicked off in Nicaragua on Friday.
The 13-0 scoreline describes the exuberant qualitative gap between the two sides, rather than the actual conduct of the match.
As flattering as this result is for Pedro Pablo Pereira's side, it does not mean that it should be a comfortable cushion of confidence, knowing that other teams will demand more.
That said, it does provide the reassurance of getting off to a good start in the tournament and taking advantage of the less complex opposition to accumulate a goal difference in their favour that could determine qualification, with a draw against the hosts a possibility, which does not seem far-fetched to think about.
The fact that they have a goal-scoring ability is also an important element when you consider that eight players have found ways to score against their opponents. In addition, in the four matches played in the Uncaf U-19 Tournament in Honduras 2024, just a month ago, they also scored goals.
David de Jesus Perez and Marcos Campos, both of whom have been playing at the highest level of the domestic championship, scored a hat-trick apiece.
Maykol Vega scored a brace as a substitute and Leandro Mena, Michel Camejo, captain Karel Pérez, Cristian Mendoza and Samuel Rodríguez, the latter coming on as a substitute, also scored.
The Cubans' next match will be against the British Virgin Islands next Sunday. They will be hoping for a win to keep them on track to make it three wins out of three before the much-anticipated deciding match against the hosts on March 2nd.