PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Trinidad and Tobago drifted closer to elimination from the CONCACAF final round of 2018 World Cup qualifiers when they conceded two early first-half goals to plunge to a 2-1 defeat to Honduras here Friday night.

Playing at the Ato Boldon Stadium, the hosts started poorly to concede twice in the first quarter of an hour through Alex Lopez and Alberth Elis, and never managed to find their way back despite Joevin Jones’ second-half penalty.

Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the second half after having a player each sent off.

The result was T&T’s sixth loss in seven games and it left them bottom of the six-nation standings on three points, needing a mathematical miracle to finish in the top four and keep alive their World Cup qualification hopes.

“In the first half we were poor — poor, poor in the first half. It’s not what I expected, it’s not what anyone expected,” T&T head coach Dennis Lawrence lamented afterwards.

“I don’t understand exactly what happened to the boys. I don’t know if the occasion got to them, but it wasn’t the first half we expected. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”

T&T, though, could have been on the scoresheet as early as the third minute, but Cordell Cato’s firm drive was palmed away by goalkeeper Luis Lopez.

Things fell apart for the hosts thereafter, as they conceded twice to be down 0-2 at half-time, leaving themselves with too much to do to get back into the contest.

The visitors were ahead in the seventh minute when a scramble for the ball in and around the penalty area saw the ball fall nicely for Lopez on the edge of the box, and he curled his right-footed volley into the upper-right- hand corner.

Nine minutes later, Elis doubled the lead when Romell Quioto beat Aubrey David on the left side, cut into the penalty area and squared a pass which manage to elude three T&T defenders in the box.

Elis collected calmly on the right side of the area, however, and slotted past goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.

Things went from bad to worse for T&T when Alvin Jones, a second-half substitute, was sent off in the 57th minute for a bad tackle on Alfredo Mejia.

Honduras were also reduced to 10 men when they lost Emilio Izaguirre to a second yellow in the 65th, following a challenge on Khaleem Hyland in the box.

Jones then netted the resulting penalty to offer some hope to the Trinidadians, but they squandered gilt-edged chances.

Daniel Cyrus’s header was blown off because of a foul in the build-up, and Cordell Cato and Kevin Molino also missed out on golden opportunities with only the goalkeeper to beat.

T&T will take on Panama in Panama City on Tuesday in their next World Cup qualifier.