Natio miss Nations League quarter-finals after late defeat to Guatemala

Natio started the final group match as leaders. Suriname had seven points after three matches, followed by Jamaica with six and Guatemala with four. Honduras, Martinique and El Salvador each had three points. The defeat ultimately left Suriname in third place, while Guatemala and Jamaica advanced to the quarter-finals.

Fraser had to make do without Justin Lonwijk at the Estadio El Trébol. The midfielder was suspended for one match after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the previous home match against Guatemala. Mexican referee Katia García booked him in the 57th minute. As Lonwijk had also received a yellow card against Honduras, he had to miss the decisive away match.

The match was officiated by American referee Joseph Dickerson. He was assisted by assistant referees Cameron Blanchard and Logan Victor Brown. Víctor Manuel Rivas was the fourth official.

The first half ended without goals. Both countries had opportunities to open the scoring. Goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen, among others, prevented Suriname from falling behind with a save from an effort by Rubio Rubín. For Suriname, Denzel Cleonise was among those looking for an opening, without success.

In the second half, Suriname had to continue with ten players after substitute Richonell Margaret received a straight red card. The forward was sent off in the 63rd minute, leaving Natio to try to hold on with a numerical disadvantage for the remainder of the match.

The Surinamese defence then held out for more than half an hour. Guatemala finally struck in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Substitute Matthew Evans beat Vaessen with a long-range shot, giving the home side victory and top spot in the group. Guatemala will face Canada in the quarter-finals in November.

The match also had a charged aftermath. Captain Myenty Abena stated on Instagram afterwards that the Surinamese players had been subjected to racist abuse from the stands during the match. According to him, the players therefore considered leaving the field. He called on FIFA and Concacaf to take action.

General director Brian Tevreden also reported that players had been subjected to monkey noises. According to Tevreden, the match was not stopped and Concacaf’s anti-discrimination protocol was not applied. These allegations from the Surinamese delegation were reported by NOS.

After the final whistle, a confrontation also broke out between players, involving pushing and shoving. For Natio, the decisive evening therefore ended in disappointment both on the sporting and emotional level. The earlier meeting with Guatemala, on October 2 in Paramaribo, had ended in a goalless draw.