Levi grabs double but misses another penalty, as T&T lose to 10-man Gabon

Trinidad and Tobago twice came from behind to hold Gabon 2-2, in their closing 2026 Fifa Series contest in Uzbekistan, before losing 3-2 in a penalty shootout to the 10-man African outfit—with captain Levi Garcia epitomising a bittersweet outing for the Soca Warriors.

Garcia snapped a run of eight games without a goal by scoring twice at the Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium in Tashkent. However, the young man from Santa Flora could not shake off a second insidious streak.

Before today’s contest, Garcia had taken three penalty kicks for the Men’s National Senior Team. He missed all three.

And, in the Fifa Series shootout, he maintained his zero percent conversion rate from the spot—as he hit Trinidad and Tobago’s final penalty off the top of the bar.

It denied interim head coach Derek King the first win of his second stint at the helm, although, technically, penalty shoot-out matches are considered drawn. (The kicks are merely meant to decide which team advances in a knockout scenario—or, in the case of the Fifa Series, to determine final group placements.)

It is closing on three years since Trinidad and Tobago defeated a nation ranked among Fifa’s top 100 teams.

Under head coach Angus Eve, the Soca Warriors edged USA (then ranked 11th in the world) 2-1 in a Concacaf Nations League A contest at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

For context, USA were leading 1-0 when their right back, Sergino Dest, was sent off for dissent in the 38th minute. And Eve’s troops took full advantage.

Today, Gabon were 2-1 ahead when defensive midfielder Samaké Nzé Bagnama received his second booking. Trinidad and Tobago managed to draw level, but, like against 10-man Haiti at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup (then under King’s predecessor, Dwight Yorke), the two-island republic could not find a winner.

King did take solace in parity, after successive heavy defeats by Bolivia (3-0) and Venezuela (4-1) respectively, and praised their showing against the outnumbered Gabon team.

Ranked 87th in the world, Gabon are the lowest graded nation that King faced since taking over from Yorke. And, of course, they were below full strength in Uzbekistan—with new coach Anicet Yala omitting the spine of the squad, in the form of captain Bruno Manga and record goal scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and midfielder Mario Lemina, who were the team’s two vice-captains.

King, for his part, made six changes from the squad that lost to Venezuela last Thursday.

Full back Déron Payne, teenaged defender Adam Pierre, attacker Nathaniel James, flanker Real Gill, forward Roald Mitchell and goalkeeper Jabari Brice replaced Noah Powder, Duane Muckette, Dantaye Gilbert, Ryan Telfer, Reon Moore and Denzil Smith respectively.

Gabon bossed the first 20 minutes of the contest, with Trinidad and Tobago struggling to restrict the movement of “The Panthers”, while King’s troops were unable to regularly work the ball into opposing territory against a fairly passive press from the African team.

Gill, in particular, looked in danger of being overrun by adventurous Gabon right back Jérémy Oyono, a second division player in Italy, who took every opportunity to run at the former St Anthony’s College schoolboy.

But, having seen off the early pressure, the Warriors began to come into their own, with Garcia threatening twice on the break. First, with a diagonal ball to Gill that forced a lunging tackle from Oyono in the 22nd minute. Then, three minutes later, Garcia drew a cynical foul from Nzé Bagnama as he looked to set off on a counter-attack.

Nzé Bagnama, who was cautioned for cutting down the Trinidad and Tobago captain, would learn the true cost of his booking later in the affair.

Gabon opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, after an errant Pierre pass. The ball was quickly relayed to captain and attacking midfielder Guélor Kanga, who beat Brice with an imperious finish into the top right-hand corner from the edge of the penalty area.

King made a pair of changes at the interval, with Gilbert and Moore replacing Gill and the anonymous Mitchell.

Full back Rio Cardines, deployed on the left today, nearly levelled after a solo run in the 50th minute. Then, a minute later, he almost helped Gabon to a second goal with a misplaced pass that sent Gabon forward Teddy Averlant scampering away, only to hit overbar.

Enter Levi Garcia to settle things with a wonderful header off a Cardines corner kick in the 53rd minute. Levi seemed to levitate in the air before flicking the ball into the corner off his head.

He celebrated with a somersault.

Gabon answered within seconds.

Garcia’s namesake, Justin Garcia, headed clearance was picked up by Gabon midfielder Edlin Matouti—with no Trinidad and Tobago midfielder in sight—and the Gabonese player responded with a scorching left footed effort that had Brice grasping at air.

Then, two minutes later, Nzé Bagnama lost his balance as he prepared to tackle James and upended the nippy attacker. The Uzbekistani referee flashed a second yellow that condemned Gabon to play just over 30 minutes with 10 players.

Levi should have levelled again off that very set piece, as Gabon goalkeeper François Bekale dropped Cardines’ lofted free kick and the Trinidad and Tobago captain volleyed over a largely unprotected net.

Payne had an even worse miss in the 59th minute, after a dangerous cross by Moore. The Netherlands-based full back skied his effort from eight yards.

Gabon, feeling the heat, hooked substitute David Sambissa and replaced him with defensive midfielder Yannis Mbemba. But the African outfit were sitting ducks, as the Warriors continued to open up their backline.

Moore rounded Bekale off an inadvertent long ball from Pierre, but could not finish in the 64th minute.

At the other end, Gabon forward Teddy Averlant was wasteful with two excellent chances, as the see-saw contest continued, with both teams paying only lip service to defence.

Bekale denied both Garcias in the 80th minute, and the match official and VAR ignored a decent shout for a penalty after Kanga tackled Cardines from behind in the penalty area, following an incisive pass from substitute John-Paul Rochford.

But, in the 89th minute, Gabon’s luck finally ran out. Again, the African nation could not deal with a Cardines free kick, which Justin Garcia headed down for Levi to lash home.

Match officials and VAR ignored another appeal for a Trinidad and Tobago penalty, two minutes into stoppage time, after Levi dribbled two defenders and looked to be tripped by Mick Omfia.

Then Gilbert missed a chance to seal the contest, as he blasted wide from a Rochford pass.

So, on to penalties.

King sent in midfielder Daniel David in the closing seconds, presumably to take a spot kick. But neither he nor Duane Muckette, another late substitute, got one.

Instead, Cardines, Rochford, Powder, Moore and Levi kicked.

Bekale flew to his right to keep out efforts from Cardines and Powder, while he was beaten by a cracking strike from Rochford and a clever Panenka by Moore.

Brice, on the occasion of his second cap, saved a hattrick of penalties from Gabon kickers Noah Lemina, Johann Obiang, and Yannis Mbemba. His last save should have meant that Levi was kicking to win the game.

But VAR intervened. The Central FC goalkeeper had strayed off his line before the kick, which would be retaken.

Mbemba changed his corner to finish and the score moved to 2-2 as Levi took his mark.

The gifted Trinidad and Tobago attacker missed all three of his previous spot kicks against: Guyana (30 March 2022, Courts Caribbean Classic), Saint Kitts and Nevis (7 June 2025, World Cup qualifier), and Venezuela (27 March 2026, Fifa Series).

His fourth time was not the charm either, as his effort clipped the top of the bar before going over.

And defender Urie-Michel Mboula demonstrated how it is done, with a precise kick to give Gabon the win.

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team will dismantle, as the globe prepares for the 2026 World Cup. TTFA president Kieron Edwards and his executive have a Concacaf Nations League campaign to plan for, though.

The first order of business: should King stay at the helm?

(Teams)

Trinidad and Tobago (4-2-1-3): 1.Jabari Brice (GK); 2.Déron Payne (23.Noah Powder 79), 6.Adam Pierre (10.Duane Muckette 87), 17.Justin Garcia (14.Daniel David 90+2), 8.Rio Cardines; 4.Jerrin Jackie, 18.Andre Rampersad; 9.Nathaniel James (12.John-Paul Rochford 79); 11.Levi Garcia (captain), 19.Roald Mitchell (13.Reon Moore 46), 20.Real Gill (15.Dantaye Gilbert 46).

Unused substitutes: 21.Teshorne Ragoo (GK), 22.Denzil Smith (GK), 3.Lindell Sween, 5.Jaylen Yearwood, 7.Ryan Telfer, 16.Shervohnez Hamilton, 24.Jaheim Faustin.

Coach: Derek King

Gabon (4-2-3-1): 16.François Bekale (GK); 21.Jérémy Oyono, 4.Urie-Michel Mboula, 13.Mick Omfia, 6.Johann Obiang; 22.Didier Ndong, 15.Samaké Nzé Bagnama [Red card 56]; 10.Shavy Babicka (7.David Sambissa 41 [17.Yannis Mbemba 61]), 12.Guélor Kanga (captain), 20.Edlin Matouti (8.Noah Lemina 74); 9.Teddy Averlant (19.Ben Jorcy Kabinambele 74).

Unused substitutes: 23.Loyce Mbaba (GK), 3.Oumar Bagnama, 11.Meshack Babanzila, 14.Eric Bocoum, 18.Farehi Owanga.

Coach: Anicet Yala

Fifa Series

(30 March 2026)

Trinidad and Tobago 2 (Levi Garcia 53, 89), Gabon 2 (Guélor Kanga 33, Edlin Matouti 54) at the Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium, Tashkent.

*–Gabon win 3-2 in penalty shootout.