Haiti 'made their mark' and will be back at WC, coach says

Haiti bow out with a sense of pride but also disappointment, having conceded a penalty in all three of their games but not looking out of place on the global stage. There was also regret that they head home without scoring their first World Cup goal.

Haiti gave England a scare in going down 1-0 to the European champions in their opening match and were similarly competitive in being edged 1-0 by China. Their first World Cup came to an end on Tuesday in a 2-0 defeat to Denmark, the Danes scoring their second at the death to seal a place in the last 16.

"Once again this evening, nobody would have thought that Denmark would be scared of us," said their French coach Delepine. "They were on the back foot and they kept their 1-0 lead, but they weren't attacking any more, which actually shows that as a team we're starting to make our mark on the international footballing stage. Other teams are wary of us, are scared of us."

Haiti were one of the lowest-ranked teams in Australia and New Zealand at 53 in the world and defied chronic instability back home to reach a first World Cup. Haiti's squad is young, with several emerging talents, the best among them the 19-year-old attacking midfielder Melchie Dumornay.

Despite the disappointment, Delepine said the experience will benefit his players for the next World Cup, in 2027. "The girls are very talented and I don't think that they're going to rest on their laurels," Delepine said. "I think that next time they're going to want to come back better. They're going to want to think bigger and in four years' time it's sure that that's what they'll be looking for."

 

August 1, 2023