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Leverock backs Bermuda to return to League A

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Last-gasp heartbreak: Danté Leverock, the Bermuda captain, gave his side the lead in the tenth minute against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League at the Estadio Nemesio Díez Stadium in Toluca on Tuesday

Danté Leverock is in no doubt Bermuda will make a swift return to the top tier of the Concacaf Nations League after suffering a heartbreaking relegation to League B.Bermuda found themselves just a minute away from retaining their League A status as they looked set for an historic 1-1 draw away to Gold Cup champions Mexico on Tuesday night.Leverock had headed Kyle Lightbourne’s side into a shock early lead before the home side levelled in spectacular fashion through Sebastian Cordova’s brilliant curling effort.However, with the required point, which would have guaranteed Bermuda finishing above Panama in group B, all but seemingly secured, disaster struck as Uriel Antuna scored a last-gasp goal to snatch victory and condemn Bermuda to relegation. Despite his obvious disappointment after the cruelest of defeats, Leverock is resolute in his belief of returning to League A in the near future, as well as turning his immediate attention to securing a spot at the 2021 Gold Cup with a play-off decider scheduled for June next year. “Obviously, we were all incredibly disappointed to lose the game with only 40 or so seconds left,” said Leverock. “It was tough to concede so late on, but it shows the small details of playing against the top team in the region and Gold Cup champions. “I’m just so proud of everyone and I think we’ve all earned a huge amount respect throughout the region. “I’m in no doubt we’ll be back in League A. We’ve been relegated to League B, but in June we have a play-off game to get back into the Gold Cup. I’m confident we’ll be making the Gold Cup in 2021.“We’ve proven that we belong at this level and although in some matches we’ve been off our game and got beaten, when we are on it, we’ve shown we can beat the big teams.“They had chances, but so did we. We’ll continue to punch well above our weight and we’ll keep learning. “The more we play at this level, the better we will be.”On a personal level, Leverock, who recently opted to leave Sligo Rovers of the SSE Airtricity League in Ireland, was delighted to score the opener against such illustrious opposition.However, he conceded to not being able to quite cherish the moment to its full extent because of the overriding disappointment.“To score away at Mexico is a milestone in my career, but it was the same thing as in the Gold Cup, where I scored against Haiti [in a 2-1 defeat],” the 27-year-old added. “Perhaps later down the line I may be able to enjoy that moment a bit more, but right now I’m just disappointed that we didn’t get what we needed.“However, I’m just so proud of my boys and I hope we made all of the fans back home in Bermuda proud as well.”Sam Murley travelled to Toluca, Mexico, thanks to sponsorship from Living Legends @living.legends.bda

Touch of class: Sebastian Cordova, the Mexico midfielder, celebrates scoring his side’s equaliser against Bermuda