HARRISON, New Jersey – For the second straight match in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup, Haiti came from behind to earn a victory, achieving a 2-1 win over Costa Rica in its Group B finale on Monday night at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
Les Grenadiers pulled off the same feat in its opener against Bermuda, which also ended 2-1, making Haiti the first team to ever post two comeback wins in a single Gold Cup.
The secret, says Haiti DF, is never to lose your cool.
“Even when we get behind, we stay focused, concentrated and motivated,” said Alexis in the post-match mixed zone after Monday’s match. “That’s why in the second half we tried to score as many goals as possible.”
There was also a bit of history on the night for Alexis, who became the first player to score both a goal and an own goal in a Gold Cup match. After his own goal gave Costa Rica an early 1-0 lead, Alexis says his teammates were there for him.
“I got a boost from my teammates after the own goal. My teammates told me that I’m a good player, don’t get down, keep my head high and that boost gave me confidence and that’s why I was able to score,” said Alexis.
There was also a pivotal moment in the Haiti locker room at halftime, in which the players took it upon themselves to change the course of the match so that this Haiti team could become the first one ever to finish first in a Gold Cup group stage.
“At halftime in the locker room we told ourselves that we should win the game and that we will win the game. In the locker room we were very motivated, we talked just among players, not with the coach, just the players for about three minutes and that’s how we got our motivation,” concluded Alexis.
