Saint Lucia's national football team produced their most convincing result of the current Concacaf Nations League campaign on Friday 2 October, beating Guadeloupe 3-0 to move to the top of League B Group B. As reported by BBC, the win lifted Saint Lucia above Barbados and Guadeloupe in a tight group, and it was the island's second straight victory after an opening defeat.
The result leaves Saint Lucia on six points from three matches, with two wins and one loss, eight goals scored and four conceded. Barbados, who have played only two games, sit second on four points, while Guadeloupe drop to third, also on four, after a win, a draw and now this defeat. The top two places in the group carry a place in the quarter-finals, so Friday's margin matters: goal difference could yet decide who goes through.
It was a disciplined display from the side managed by Rajesh Latchoo, who set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 shape. V. Barclett started in goal behind a back four of A. Jude-Boyd, D. Lionel, captain T. Thomas and S. Nelson. K. Frederick and M. Doxilly shielded the defence as the twin holding midfielders, with S. Byron, C. Elva and D. Phillip supplying striker K. Caull.
Latchoo was able to manage the closing stages with the game won. G. President came on for Jude-Boyd on 75 minutes, M. St. Romain replaced goalscorer-turned-striker Caull on 81, and in the final moments of stoppage time A. Hippolyte, L. Joseph and D. Augustin were all sent on. There was late frustration in the result's only blemish: Byron was booked in the ninetieth minute and Elva followed in the sixth minute of added time.
Guadeloupe, under manager Moïse Castry, named V. Rouyard in goal with a defence of Alphonse, Raddas, Cysique and Tafna-Danavin, and Giblaca among the defensive midfielders, but the visiting side could not find a way past a home defence that has now kept a clean sheet in this fixture. Guadeloupe had arrived with four points from their opening three games, having won once and drawn once, and they leave the window second-best on goals.
Friday was a strong evening for teams from the region's smaller islands elsewhere in the competition too. Haiti beat the Dominican Republic 4-1, Costa Rica won 3-0 in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico won 3-0 away to the Cayman Islands, and Antigua and Barbuda beat Anguilla 3-0, while St Kitts and Nevis drew 3-3 with Cuba and Suriname drew 0-0 with Guatemala.
For anyone following sport in Saint Lucia, the result is a significant one. The Saint Lucia Football Association was founded in 1979 and the island has been a FIFA member since 1988, but a men's World Cup finals appearance has never been achieved, and the Concacaf Nations League has been the stage where recent qualifying campaigns have played out. Wins like this one, at home and by a three-goal margin, are the kind of result that changes how a group is viewed.
It also reflects a wider truth about football on the island, which is the sport visitors are most likely to stumble across during a stay. Village pitches, beach strips and floodlit artificial grounds host matches week in and week out, and grounds such as the Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort have proper stands and floodlights. Ask at any hotel and staff can usually point you to a local fixture worth watching during your trip.
For travellers, a football international is only one of many reasons the island draws people year after year. Beyond the matchday, there is no shortage of things to do in St Lucia, from the rainforest trails of the interior to the twin peaks of the Pitons on the Soufrière coast, and the beaches in St Lucia range from lively strips on the northwest coast to quiet coves in the south.
The timing of a trip often shapes what you see. The best time to visit St Lucia for cricket fans tends to be August, when the Caribbean Premier League brings floodlit fixtures to the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground with the Saint Lucia Kings hosting teams from across the region, while the football calendar now offers autumn internationals like Friday's for anyone booking holidays to St Lucia around a matchday. Direct flights to St Lucia from the UK make combining a game with a week or two on the island straightforward.
Where you stay depends on how you travel. The island's accommodation spans family-friendly beachfront properties and quiet hillside retreats, and options run from boutique hotels in St Lucia's smaller coastal communities to larger resorts along the northwest shore. Some visitors base themselves near the capital, Castries, for easy access to both fixtures and the ferry routes along the coast.
What happens next is simple arithmetic. Saint Lucia lead League B Group B with six points, Barbados and Guadeloupe each have four, and Bermuda sit bottom without a point after two defeats. With the top two advancing to the quarter-finals, the islanders now control their own campaign, and the reaction to Friday's win suggests the players know exactly what is at stake when the group resumes.
Plan your St Lucia holiday
- Hotels in St Lucia: resorts, villas and boutique stays compared.
- Things to do in St Lucia: from the Pitons to the sulphur springs.
- Best time to visit St Lucia: weather, seasons and prices by month.
- Flights to St Lucia: routes from the UK and what to expect.
- Plan your St Lucia holiday: ask us anything, or send an enquiry.