Rogers Kimaree’s 87th minute equaliser secured St. Kitts & Nevis a 1-1 draw against Mauritius in the tri-Nation tournament match at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Tuesday.
Jean Sarah had put Mauritius ahead in the first half.
After a 2-1 defeat to India in the opening match, it was a much improved performance from Mauritius, especially in the second half as the Caribbean outfit turned on the heat. Mauritius would have ended on the winning side had it converted a handful of chances that came its way.
Mauritius looked organised in the first half, showing potency in attack, closing gaps in the midfield and denying the opponents the room in its quarter.
The St. Kitts & Nevis defence, which was anxiously passing back to goalkeeper to try and ease pressure, was caught napping in the 18th minute. Pascal Balsson picked out Sarah in the box with a floated ball, and the latter leapt up and nodded home without any defender to trouble him.
Mauritius pressed on; its forwards looked creative and mobile right through.
In one instance, Sarah took off on a run down the left, dribbling and weaving past a succession of defenders before he was brought down near the left flag.
Another attempt at goal, by Jean Jocelyn, was palmed away by Jeffers Jamal as St. Kitts & Nevis withstood waves of attacks.
At the other end, James Caserne rushed off the line to narrow down the angle and managed to block a shot from Kimaree. Caserne had a couple of tense moments: he charged out and missed the ball once, and later fumbled with a collection.
The equaliser came when Kimaree finally found the net after doing the hard work by veering away into the space on the right and then blasting it home with only the goalkeeper to beat.
St. Kitts and Nevis takes on India on August 24 in the concluding game.
The result: Mauritius 1 (Jean Sarah 18) drew with St. Kitts & Nevis 1 (Rogers Kimaree 87) .
