MIAMI, Florida (CMC) — Bermuda’s 8-1 humiliating defeat of Barbados headlined three lopsided victories as Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti joined in making bold statements in the opening round of the qualifying phase of the Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary here on Friday evening.

Playing at the DRV PNK Stadium, Bermuda’s England-based marquee forward Nakhi Wells lashed in a hat-trick in his return to the squad, to fire his side into the next round.

They will now meet Haiti after the French Caribbean outfit clobbered St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) 6-1 at the same venue, with experienced Belgium-based striker Duckens Nazon on target twice.

Embattled Trinidad and Tobago also flexed their muscle when they thrashed Montserrat 6-1, home-based midfielder Reon Moore capping his side’s dominant performance with a second-half double after coming on as a substitute.

T&T will now clash with the winner of Saturday’s contest between Cuba and French Guiana, in the second round.

Yesterday’s other fixtures will see Guyana taking on Guatemala and The Bahamas mixing it up with Guadeloupe, with the winners meeting in the second round of qualifiers.

All second-round matches will be played Tuesday, with the winners all advancing to the group stage of the Gold Cup that gets underway July 10.

The return of Bristol City striker Wells following a year’s absence seemed to inspire Bermuda and they were 2-0 up inside the first quarter of an hour, thanks to strikes by the 31-year-old.

His first goal was the fastest ever in Gold Cup history, coming after just 17 seconds with the first attack of the game when he stormed down the right — unmarked — to sweep home from six yards, after the United States-based Zeiko Lewis had raced down the left and squared a pass from inside the 18-yard box.

The goal was initially chalked off for offside but overturned by VAR.

Wells doubled his tally once more from close range after finding himself again unmarked in the box before strikes from Reggie Lambe (29th) and Dante Leverock (39th) fired Bermuda to a 4-0 lead.

Hadan Holligan scrambled one in off the post in first-half injury time to get Barbados on the scoresheet, but the one-way traffic continued after the break.

With Barbados in disarray at the back, United Kingdom-based Krystian Pearce stuck Lewis’s left-sided cross into the back of his own net on the hour mark, and Kane Crichlow (66th) and Lewis (67th) scored in quick succession to bury the Eastern Caribbean unit.

Fittingly, Captain Wells rounded off his side’s display with his third goal three minutes from the end, when he converted from the spot.

T&T, meanwhile, got their scoring underway through fit-again MLS-based winger Kevin Molino when he netted a 21st-minute penalty, and Marcus Joseph doubled the lead with a brilliant long-range effort in the 35th minute after spotting goalkeeper Corrin Brooks off his line.

Canadian-born and -based Ryan Telfer ensured T&T’s 3-0 lead at the break when he scored in injury time before Lyle Taylor, who plays for Nottingham Forest in England, pulled a goal back in the 55th minute.

There was no resurgence for the minnows, however, as Judah Garcia added his side’s fourth in the 57th before Moore came off the bench to provide the finishing touches.

Haiti’s win came when Nazon netted in the 26th and 59th minutes, first opening the scoring before getting his side’s fourth after Frantzdy Pierrot (33rd) and Derrick Etienne Jr (37th) had found the mark in the space of five minutes.

Kyle Edwards grabbed the lone goal for the Vincentians in the 42nd minute but Jahvin Sutherland’s 72nd-minute own goal and Carnejy Antoine’s 90th-minute strike further condemned the minnows.