Haiti have made history!
The nation’s football team have achieved a monumental feat, becoming the first-ever Caribbean nation to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. After a thrilling 2-1 victory over Chile, Haiti will now compete in Group D alongside England, China and Denmark in the 2023 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The match was a nail-biting affair, with Melchie Dumornay scoring twice during Wednesday’s match to secure Haiti’s place in the tournament. The star player, who was recently signed by seven-time Champions League winners Lyon, won the race to a through ball in first-half stoppage time to give Haiti a 1-0 lead at the break. She added another goal in the eighth of 11 minutes added on by the referee after Chile captain Christiane Endler had saved Nerilia Mondesir’s attempt from the penalty spot. But Maria Jose Rojas scored in the 11th minute of stoppage time to keep Chile’s hopes alive – making a final few moments of nerve-racking play.
The victory is a major boost for Haiti, a nation that has been plagued with political unrest and natural disasters. Prior to the 10-team qualifying tournament in New Zealand, midfielder Danielle Etienne told ESPN “there’s a lot of unhappiness in the country and football is the joy”. The qualification for the World Cup is a sign of hope for the nation, providing an opportunity for Haitians to come together and celebrate their shared passion for football.
The Haitian Football Federation took to Twitter to express their joy, hailing the “unforgettable evening for our Grenadières in Auckland”. Players shed tears of joy when the final whistle blew, having defeated Senegal 4-0 in their opening match.
Portugal will play Cameroon in the Group A playoff later on Wednesday and Paraguay will play Panama on Thursday for the last places in the 32-team tournament.
Haiti have made history! The nation’s football team have achieved a monumental feat, becoming the first-ever Caribbean nation to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. After a thrilling 2-1 victory over Chile, Haiti will now compete in Group D alongside England, China and Denmark in the 2023 tournament, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The match was a nail-biting affair, with Melchie Dumornay scoring twice during Wednesday’s match to secure Haiti’s place in the tournament. The star player, who was recently signed by seven-time Champions League winners Lyon, won the race to a through ball in first-half stoppage time to give Haiti a 1-0 lead at the break. She added another goal in the eighth of 11 minutes added on by the referee after Chile captain Christiane Endler had saved Nerilia Mondesir’s attempt from the penalty spot. But Maria Jose Rojas scored in the 11th minute of stoppage time to keep Chile’s hopes alive – making a final few moments of nerve-racking play.
The qualification for the World Cup is a major boost for Haiti, providing an opportunity for Haitians to come together and celebrate their shared passion for football. The victory is a sign of hope for the nation, which has been hit with a raft of crises, with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 adding to the country’s insecurity amid a series of natural disasters. The United Nations human rights chief recently appealed to the international community to consider deploying a specialised armed force to restore order as accounts of killings, raping and pillaging committed by influential gangs have soared.
The Haitian Football Federation took to Twitter to express their joy, hailing the “unforgettable evening for our Grenadières in Auckland”. Players shed tears of joy when the final whistle blew, having defeated Senegal 4-0 in their opening match.
Portugal will play Cameroon in the Group A playoff later on Wednesday and Paraguay will play Panama on Thursday for the last places in the 32-team tournament. With their qualification for the World Cup, Haiti have made history and provided a much needed breath of fresh air for their nation.