World Cup Qualifying: All six Concacaf seeds win in opening round

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Mar 26, 2021

The six top seeds in the opening round of World Cup 2022 qualifying in Concacaf won their opening games.

Panama, the only World Cup 2018 finalist that is not directly qualified to Concacaf's Octagonal, had a close call, needing a goal in the 82nd minute to beat Barbados, 1-0.

Canada was missing its top young striker, Jonathan David, who was not released by French club Lille, but he was not missed as Canada crushed Bermuda, 5-1. Cyle Larin led Canada with a hat trick.

Matchday 2: Thursday, March 25
Group A El Salvador 2 Grenada 0. (Goals: Mayen 23, Rugamas 46.)
Group B Canada 5 Bermuda 1 (Goals: Larin 19, 27, 69,  Laryea 53,  Corbeanu 81; Crichlow 63.)
Group C Curacao 5 St. Vincent & Grenadines 0. (Goals: J.Bacuna 1, 36, van den Hurk 17, Antonia 44, Hooi 87.)
Group D Panama 1 Barbados 0. (Goal: Caluy 82.)
Group E Haiti 2 Belize 0. (Goals: Ade 50, Seance 80.)
Group F Trinidad & Tobago 3 Guyana 0. (Goals: Garcia 7, Bateau 15, Telfer 44.)



Concacaf's opening round will continue with three more matchdays in March and five in June. The six group winners will be paired off and meet in two-game series in the second half of the June window to decide the three teams that will join the USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Jamaica in the final round of Concacaf qualifying, the 14-game Octagonal, which begins in September with three games.

Matchday 1: Wednesday, March 24
Group A Antigua & Barbuda 2 Montserrat 2. (Goals: Kirwan 22, Bishop 45; L.Taylor pen. 7, 26.)
Group B Suriname 3 Cayman Islands 0. (Goal: Pinas 22, Donk pen. 38, Vlijter 76.)
Group C Guatemala 1 Cuba 0. (Goal: L.Martinez 60.)
Group D Dominican Republic 1 Dominica 0. (Goal: F.Nunez 52.)
Group E Nicaragua vs. St. Lucia, cancelled
Group F St. Kitts & Nevis 1 Puerto Rico 0. (Goal: Nelson 42.)