While the country is going through a multidimensional and endless crisis, Haiti has just qualified for a historic FIFA World Cup finals in the senior women category. The national team has won its qualification against Chile on Tuesday night (2-1) in the final of the intercontinental playoffs held in Auckland and qualifying for the World Cup to be held next summer in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.
The Grenadiers first showed solidity, leaving only crumbs to the Chilean attackers before finding the click at the end of the first act through their young star Melchie Daelle Dumornay (45th+1). Corventina showed her class and technical range in the action. She received a ball from Kethna Louis, put her opponent in the wind and leaned on her teammate Roselord Borgela, who gave her the ball. The former AS Tigresses resident finished with a powerful left-footed shot past goalkeeper Christane Endler.
After the break, the women’s national team was able to maintain its defensive stronghold but struggled to make a dent. Captain Nérilia Mondésir and Sherly Jeudi were rather clumsy and unlucky on the offensive end. Sherly Jeudi had to leave her partners behind when she was hit. Nérilia then missed the penalty kick to seal Haiti’s victory with four (4) minutes left in regulation time. But, as a symbol, every time the team is in trouble, Melchie Daelle Dumornay appears. The latter took advantage of an offer from Nerilia to double the score in the additional time (90th+8). The future player of Olympique Lyonnais succeeded in her personal double, relieving a whole people and annihilating another one, beating once again her future teammate in Lyon and the one who is considered the best goalkeeper in the world, (winner of the FIFA award in 2021).
The South Americans did not give up and reduced the gap three (3) minutes later through Maria Jose Rojas (90th+11).
The Grenadiers have trembled thereafter but have temu until the final whistle.
They thus snatched their qualification for the World Cup by signing two prestigious victories in a row, against Senegal (4-0) and Chile (2-1).
It is a kind of completion for this group of girls. This generation has had a similar journey, starting with the Camp Nou Academy at the Croix-des-Bouquets ranch to then earn a place at the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup in France in 2018. Five (5) years later, they realize their dream of playing the biggest soccer competition in the world, the FIFA senior world. They will defeat the tenors of women’s soccer, England, European champion in title, Denmark and China in the group stage.
They could not be prouder. The MVP of the match Melchie Daelle Dumornay remained sober. She paid tribute to her teammates, the technical staff, taking the opportunity to dedicate the qualification to the artist Mika Ben, who died on stage at the Accor Arena in Paris last October during the concert-meeting of the group Carimi.
Generous in the defensive efforts and at the same time altruistic, Nérilia Mondésir, like Corventina, emphasized the colossal work done by her peers and the coaching committee.
The coach Nicolas Delépine is also ecstatic, to have achieved his goal, expressing his joy and pride at the microphone of the communication team of the FHF. The French technician imitates his compatriot Marc Collat who had qualified the Haitian women’s team of under 20 years for the world in 2018.
The qualification of Haiti for the FIFA Women’s World Cup is welcomed by the Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
“We are both proud and grateful for the prowess of our Grenadiers. We wish them more victories for the glory and honor of our nation” tweeted the head of the Prime Minister’s Office. Provided that his Government puts in place the necessary means to assist in the adequate preparation of the team.
This is the second time in its history that a national selection of Haiti will play a final phase of the FIFA World Cup, senior category, after 1974 in Germany with the generation led by Manno Sanon, Philippe Vorbe and Guy Saint-Vil.
It is also the fifth time that a Haitian selection will be represented at a FIFA World Cup, after the senior men’s team in 1974, the men’s team of under 17 years in 2007, the women’s team of under 20 years in 2018 and the men’s team U17 in 2019.
In the wake of the celebration of Haiti’s qualification for this new FIFA World Cup, the earth shook in Port-au-Prince and in the south of the country. The tremor of magnitude 4.3 on the Richter scale that was felt caused panic. As if to remind us that caution must be exercised in all situations.
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