“Carlito Fermina opens the scoring for Aruba with an early strike”
“Nathaniel Owen levels for Anguilla against the run of play”
“Substitute Antonio Fleming fires Anguilla into a shock lead”
Pivotal“Alljereau Mercera equalizes in the first of two stoppage-time goals”
Pivotal
Aruba
Anguilla
Outstanding performance
Aruba•AttackerAruba dominated from start to finish, racking up 76% possession, 30 shots, and 98 dangerous attacks against an Anguilla side that defended deep and looked to hit on the counter. Despite that control, Aruba were made to work for it after Nathaniel Owen cancelled out Carlito Fermina's early opener, and substitute Antonio Fleming put Anguilla ahead against the run of play in the 77th minute. Anguilla's resilience, backed by seven saves from their goalkeeper and a disciplined defensive shape, nearly saw them steal an unlikely away win until substitute Alljereau Mercera struck twice in stoppage time to complete a grandstand finish. For Aruba, the result underlines their status as the form side in this Nations League group, while Anguilla will be left to rue missed chances and a defense that couldn't hold on for ten more minutes.
How entertaining was this match?
Fresh off a 2-0 win over this very opponent just days ago, Aruba look to make it two in a row and keep their League C campaign rolling. Anguilla, still searching for their first point, will need a major turnaround to avoid a third straight loss to Aruba in quick succession.
