The Cuban national football team crushed 7-1 against Bonaire on Thursday at La Polar Stadium in Havana, on the fifth matchday of Group C of League B in the 2026-27 CONCACAF Nations League, and is now just one draw away from promotion to League A.
The match was a Cuban monologue in the second half, with six of the seven goals scored between minutes 51 and 79.
Michael Camejo opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and the lead was maintained until Jorge Aguirre extended the difference in the 51st with a powerful right-footed volley from inside the box.
Yunior Pérez scored the third goal in the 56th minute, and just two minutes later, Myron Bostdorp narrowed the score for Bonaire with the only away goal of the match.
The Cuban response was immediate and decisive: Daniel Díaz scored in the 69th minute, Luis Paradela in the 74th, and Díaz completed his double in the 77th "with a left-footed shot from inside the box, after receiving a ball sent over the top," according to the official Concacaf report.
Didier Reinoso rounded off the score in the 79th minute to set the final score at 7-1.
Paradela, forward of the Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica, was one of the key players of the night: he scored from a free kick and also assisted in Camejo's first goal, totaling one goal, one assist, and five shots in the match.
With this victory, Cuba adds 11 points from five matches —three wins and two draws, remaining undefeated— and leads Group C with a goal difference of +11.
The table leaves Saint Kitts and Nevis in second place with eight points, Grenada in third with six, and Bonaire in fourth with three.
On Monday, Cuba will conclude the group stage against Grenada at the same stadium, La Polar, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (7:00 p.m. in Cuba).
With a three-point lead over the second-placed team, the Cubans only need a draw to secure the top position and direct promotion to League A; a victory would also guarantee qualification for the Gold Cup 2027.
The background is favorable: in the first leg, held in September, Cuba had already defeated Grenada 3-0 as a visitor.
The setting of the match has its own history: the La Polar Stadium, founded in 1929 in the Havana neighborhood of Puentes Grandes, was re-inaugurated in July 2025 after a renovation costing over 1.7 million dollars funded by FIFA. This renovation included a certified synthetic field and solar panels for energy autonomy, a detail that takes on particular significance in a country plagued by chronic blackouts.
The team's good performance contrasts with a recent history of ups and downs: Cuba was promoted to League A for the first time in the 2022-23 season, but was relegated in 2024-25 and is now seeking an immediate return.
The ghost of defections also weighs heavily: four players left the team during the Gold Cup in 2015, another four in 2019, and five in 2023, episodes that have systematically weakened the national team in Concacaf tournaments.
On Monday, against Granada, Cuba will have the opportunity to conclude its best recent campaign in the Nations League and return to the elite of regional football.
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