Cuba 1 Bermuda 2

Bermuda coach Michael Findlay has applauded his squad after Djair Parfitt and substitute Reggie Lambe sent the team into the third round of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers with a brilliant victory in Cuba.

The win meant Bermuda leapfrogged Cuba to finish second behind Honduras in group A with seven points and make it into the final phase of the qualifiers.

The draw for the next round will take place on Thursday, with six matches awaiting the Gombey Warriors in September, October and November as they seek to book an historic first spot at the 2026 World Cup hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Findlay said before the game that he believed his side, who were 11-2 underdogs in pre-game betting, could pull off what many in the region might think was a surprise win.

“We’re incredibly pleased with the result,” Findlay told The Royal Gazette.

“You have to congratulate the players for pulling it off because this is not an easy place to play. It’s great that the Bermudian fans will now get to see round three of World Cup qualifying, which I don’t think they’ve seen before. It’s an exciting time for Bermudian football and you have to take your hat off to BFA president Mark Wade and his board for what they are trying to achieve here.”

In the Estadio Antonio Maceo in humid conditions, Parfitt gave Findlay’s side an early lead in the sixth minute but his goal was cancelled out by Jorge Aguirre 13 minutes into the second half.

Lambe, a 69th-minute substitute for Kole Hall, secured the crucial three points by scoring with his second touch five minutes after taking to the field to send the team into uncharted waters.

Findlay was delighted with the team’s response after the disappointment of conceding an equaliser.

“What we have to celebrate is the ability to put what was required in the fight first and foremost,” he said.

“We were able to deal with the disappointment of conceding a goal in the second half, which put us out at that stage. But we were still able to continue and not collapse as in previous games we sometimes have. We’ve had trouble closing games and this is a major step forward in our ability to deliver.

“I didn’t think we played that well and we were our own worst enemy because we’re a better side than Cuba, but we got caught up in some of their directness and physicality.”

The Canadian, who has overseen significant improvement since taking over as Bermuda coach in August 2023, commended Lambe, the island’s most capped player, and Parfitt for their goalscoring exploits.

“You have to take your hat off to Reggie,’’ Findlay said.

“We always knew that he had the ability, the experience and we've used Reggie in different times and scenarios. Against Cuba, he did exactly what we asked him to do.

“We felt that we needed to reduce the physical part of the play up front and get a little bit more tactical ability to run at them. Reggie gave us that and congratulations to him for scoring a monumental goal for Bermuda.

“Djair is a serial scorer and is such an important part of our team. He’s such a talented player and he’s a great human being. He leads by performance and that’s what he does best. We’re lucky to have him and there is no doubt how valuable he is to this team.”

Bermuda took the lead when Keziah Martin delivered a cross into the box and Cuban defender Orlando Calvo failed to make the clearance, with Parfitt flicking through the goalkeeper’s legs for his second goal in the qualifiers.

In the 54th minute, Parfitt forced Yurdy Hodelín into a save from close range as Bermuda searched for a second goal. After some intense pressure Jorge Aguirre made up for an earlier miss by equalising, with substitute Marcos Campo weighing in with the assist.

Great defending by Camilo Pinillo in the 72nd minute then denied Lambe after Parfitt put the ball through for the veteran forward as Bermuda pushed for a winner.

Two minutes later, Lambe had all the time in the world to control the ball, check back inside a defender and blast past Hodelín at the near post after being put through by Ne-Jai Tucker to restore Bermuda’s lead.

At the other end, with Dale Eve produced a breathtaking save in the 82nd minute to keep out Martin Rodriguez’s shot at goal.

Ahead of the draw on Thursday, Findlay is not fixated on the three opponents Bermuda will face.

“We’re going to be probably the lowest-ranked team in the third round,” he said. “We have to refuel and rethink, but I’m just excited that these players are going to get an opportunity to play against teams of this calibre.

“As I've always said, the only way Bermuda is going to grow is if we play games against better teams, and this is what is going to happen. We have to play in meaningful games and these are definitely meaningful games because you’re on a journey to a World Cup.

“I like to live in the positive and I look forward to these players getting the opportunity to compete with the top 12 in Concacaf.”

SCORERS

Cuba: Aguirre 58

Bermuda: Parfitt 6, Lambe 74

TEAMS

Cuba (4-2-3-1): Y Hodelín – O Calvo (sub: M Reyes, 86min), K Pérez, K Espino, C Vázquez – D Catasus (sub: M Campos, 57), P Bravo – D Reyes (sub: M Rodríguez, 70), Y Matos (sub: W Pozo, 56), J Aguirre (sub: C Pinillo, 70) – A Raballo. Substitutes not used: O Hernández, L Mena, I Morgado, R Polo, R Rodríguez, R Valdez. Booked: Matos, Reyes, Morgado.

Bermuda (4-2-3-1): D Eve – R Jones (sub: E Blankendal, 77), D Hill, J Carpenter, H Twite – W Clemons, K Martin (sub: A Todd, 69) – N Tucker (sub: R Lee, 87) Z Lewis (sub: S Ming, 77), D Parfitt – K Hall (sub: R Lambe, 69). Substitutes not used: D Bell, C Fubler, E Russell, K Richardson, J Butterfield-Steede. Booked: Bell, Lewis, Russell, Parfitt, Lee.

Referee: O Vergara (Panama).