St Lucia 5 Bermuda 2: Caull hat-trick sinks Bermuda in Nations League

Saint Lucia ran out emphatic 5-2 winners over Bermuda in their Concacaf Nations League clash on Monday night, with striker Keegan Caull scoring a perfect hat-trick of header, right foot and left foot inside the opening 35 minutes. The result leaves Bermuda bottom of League B Group B and without a point after two defeats in four days, while their hopes of qualifying for the Gold Cup now look remote.

As reported by Royal Gazette | Bermuda, Bermuda head coach John Barry Nusum made five changes to his starting side after Friday's defeat to Guadeloupe. Two of those changes were enforced, with Brighton Morrison and Emeer Peets replacing the suspended Jorj Dublin and Lejaun Simmons, while Zeiko Lewis, Justin Donawa and Nahki Wells came in ahead of Sincere Hall, Luke Robinson and Djair Parfitt.

Bermuda began cautiously, and although Donawa tried his luck from distance in the seventh minute, the early threat came almost entirely from the hosts. A pacey Saint Lucia front three repeatedly troubled an inexperienced defensive unit, and the opening goal arrived in the 15th minute when Caull escaped his marker at a corner and headed home unmarked at the back post. Bermuda goalkeeper Milai Perott appeared to be impeded, but with no video assistant referee in use at this level the goal stood.

Caull struck again three minutes later, racing onto a through-ball, rounding Perott and finishing despite Peets' attempt to clear off the line, before completing his treble in the 35th minute after Morrison was robbed of possession in Bermuda's own half. Only then did Bermuda find any rhythm, creating chances for Wells and Ajani Burchall, and they pulled one back just before the interval when Ne-Jai Tucker played a short corner to Lewis, whose cross was headed in by Burchall from close range to make it 3-1.

The second half brought no rescue for the visitors. Saint Lucia nearly added a fourth within half a minute of the restart, Caull shooting wide, but in the 52nd minute teenager Shevon Byron collected a long ball out of defence, took a touch, burst into the area and fired low past Perott. Another long pass over the top found Kurt Frederick in the 68th minute and he slotted home Saint Lucia's fifth. Riley Robinson, on as a substitute, pulled one back for Bermuda three minutes later after dispossessing Frederick, but Wells, who was substituted in the 90th minute shortly after appearing to sustain a knee injury, saw a late shot saved as Bermuda's evening ended in disappointment.

For the travelling support, and for anyone following the game from the island, the result underlines how central football is to everyday life here. The Saint Lucia Football Association was founded in 1979 and the national men's team has been a FIFA member since 1988, taking part in Nations League and World Cup qualifying campaigns even though a finals appearance has so far eluded them. Football is played in almost every village, and visitors on holidays to St Lucia can often catch a lively community match simply by asking their hotel where the nearest fixture is being staged.

Grounds such as the Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort, with its stands and floodlights, host league and cup matches, while floodlit artificial pitches and beach strips carry the game across the island. The win over Bermuda will have gone down well on those village fields, and it keeps Saint Lucia firmly in the conversation at the top of the group after Barbados drew 2-2 with the seeds earlier in the day. It is a good reminder that sport in Saint Lucia extends well beyond the island's better-known cricket in St Lucia at the Daren Sammy Stadium, which became the first Caribbean venue to stage a day-night match after lights were installed in 2006.

For supporters considering following the team or simply combining a match with a trip, the island rewards a longer stay, and anyone wondering how many days in St Lucia to allow will find that a week lets the football sit alongside the beaches in St Lucia such as those near Soufrière and the sight of the Pitons rising from the sea. The best time to visit St Lucia for outdoor fixtures tends to be the drier months, when village pitches and coastal walks are at their most reliable.

Getting there is straightforward too, with direct flights to St Lucia from the UK touching down at Hewanorra International Airport in the south of the island, within reach of Vieux Fort's football ground. Accommodation runs from boutique hotels in St Lucia tucked into hillside gardens to larger all-inclusive resorts in St Lucia along the northwest coast, so there are options to suit most budgets and travelling parties, from couples to family holidays in St Lucia.

Nusum's immediate concern, though, is injury and points. He will be hoping Wells is fit to travel for this week's double-header against Barbados, with Bermuda needing to pick up results quickly to stave off any threat of relegation from League B. Saint Lucia, buoyant after Caull's treble and Byron's debut-grade strike, will look to build on the momentum when the group resumes.