Trinidad held 1-1 by Bahrain

Trinidad and Tobago were held to a 1-1 draw by Bahrain in an entertaining World Cup play-off first leg late on Saturday in Port of Spain. Trinidad's Christopher Birchall struck a stunning 25-metre half-volley to equalise with 12 minutes left after...

Trinidad and Tobago were held to a 1-1 draw by Bahrain in an entertaining World Cup play-off first leg late on Saturday in Port of Spain.

Trinidad's Christopher Birchall struck a stunning 25-metre half-volley to equalise with 12 minutes left after Salman Husein had given Bahrain the lead in the 72nd with a powerful header.

Trinidad were the more dangerous team at the Hasely Crawford Stadium but neither Stern John nor strike partner Dwight Yorke could find a way past goalkeeper Ali.

The play-off, with the second leg scheduled for Wednesday in Manama, is the climax of a difficult journey for both teams, neither of whom have ever played in the World Cup finals.

Trinidad finished fourth in the six-team CONCACAF final qualifying group to reach the play-offs, while Bahrain came third in their final Asian qualifying group and then beat Uzbekistan over three matches to qualify for the two-legged decider.

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