Placide Is Well Worth Navas

From the kickoff, it was clear that the Haitian team had learned lessons from the 0-3 defeat conceded to Honduras. Already in the lineup adopted by Migné, there was no Derrick Étienne, nor Expérience, with Hannes Lacroix preferred to occupy the left flank of the defense; Arcus made a normal return from a regulatory suspension; Pierrot was a strong choice as the sole central striker, meaning Nazon was on the bench, a primary offensive change option both to vary offensive maneuvers and to bring freshness. In the game, there was no presumptuously high defensive or offensive block. Psychologically, the obvious need to avoid any rush under the pretext that we should score early was glaring. No "hooray football"! It was therefore necessary to find a balance between attack and defense, which the defensive line and midfielders diligently applied themselves to. “Play well,” said Didi, the legendary Brazilian playmaker and coach of the great Peru team of 1970, “the goal will come by itself.” We did not play well according to the adopted standards of ball retention and circulation oriented towards depth, density and precision in defense and midfield, or presence in the opponent's penalty area. But let's emphasize the lessons from the last match. Despite Placide's numerous saves, he was undeniably the man of the match, never abandoned by his defenders as he was during the match on October 14 in Tegucigalpa. There was always a Haitian player next to or in front of the Costa Rican shooters. And in this exercise, Ricardo Adé takes the prize. His saving left-footed tackle in the 55th minute at the edge of the penalty area and again his left foot blocking a shot clearly heading for Haiti's goal are worth gold, though admittedly with fewer carats than Placide's saves. Have you noticed the Haitian captain's new slimness? He must have shed a good ten, or even fifteen, pounds.
Less weight, more agility. A moment on individual performances. In addition to Placide and Adé, what immediately comes to mind is not his entire match, but Bellegarde's brilliant curling shot from 22 meters that Navas had the "unfortunate" idea of trying to retrieve from his top left corner. And then, a goal in football, as we know, is unsurpassed. When it is unique in a match that brings us back into the competition, with 8 points like Honduras, but unfavorable on goal difference, its scorer deserves a pedestal. Thank you, congratulations, Mr. Pierrot! It would have been abnormal for you to go through all these qualifiers without putting your signature on the scoreboard. However, let's not be ungrateful; the entire team deserves congratulations. But let's single out a few more: Casimir for the penultimate pass, Providence for the decisive one.
There you have it! From now on, Vertières has another name: Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad. Of course, on November 18. Patrice Dumont