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SAN CRISTOBAL, Dominican Republic - Cuba withstood the 84th-minute ejection of Abel Martinez and held on for a 0-0 draw with the Dominican Republic on Monday to advance to the final round of Caribbean qualifying for the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship.
The result finished Cuba atop first round Group 2 with seven points, two better than the Dominicans and three more than St. Kitts & Nevis. Aruba was last having lost all three of its games.
Cuba advanced on the strength of a 6-1 win over Aruba on Thursday and a 4-0 victory over St. Kitts on Saturday. Dayron Perez scored a goal in each game. Randy Bailer and Maykel Reyes scored two each to help Cuba rally after it had fallen behind against Aruba.
The Dominican Republic can still advance as a second-place team. On Saturday, the Caribbean Football Union changed the format of their qualifying tournament, increasing the number of teams that will play in the final round from six to eight.
The four first-round group winners along with three second-place teams will join final-round host Jamaica to determine the Caribbean five qualifiers for the CONCACAF championship in Pueba, Mexico February 18-March 2.
Haiti won Group 3 on Sunday and Puerto Rico finished in second with seven points, guaranteeing a place for both in Jamaica.
