PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Double strikes from Kerry Baptiste and Gary Glasgow fired hosts Trinidad and Tobago to a 5-1 victory over Martinique in their Digicel Caribbean Cup football final-round match on Monday night.

The T&T Soca Warriors built on a 2-1 half-time lead against a short-staffed Martinique at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and pounded the French side for the most authoritative victory of the final round so far.

Martinique, the 1993 Caribbean Cup champions, lost defender Joan Deluge in the 31st minute when he handled a goal-bound shot from Darryl Roberts.

Glasgow failed to score the penalty that was awarded from that play.

Dream start for T&T

Anxious to rebound from their tame outing on Friday night when they drew 1-1 with Barbados, ex-champions Trinidad and Tobago got a dream start and led after only three minutes when Roberts slipped behind the defence unmarked and headed a Denzil Theobald free kick - from an acute angle - past Martinique's goalkeeper Eddy Heurlie on his near post.

Xavier Bullett finished well for Martinique after collecting a pass from captain Patrick Percin to tie the game on 16 minutes, but after the French side lost Deluge, Trinidad and Tobago shot ahead in the 36th minute through Baptiste, connecting from close range.

It became 3-1 to the home side two minutes into the second half when Glasgow headed powerfully into the goal from a Leslie Fitzpatrick cross from the left.

Baptiste scored from the penalty spot on 76 minutes to make the game completely safe for T&T and Glasgow finished a slick combination of passes with Fitzpatrick in the 84th minute for the eight-time champions.

Haiti in semis

Earlier, Haiti defeated Barbados 2-0 to become the first team to confirm a spot in the semi-finals.

After a scoreless first half, Haiti came out in the second half pressing for the lead and got it on 54 minutes when captain Bruny Pierre's through ball found the speedy Alexandre Boucicaut, who ran forward for a one-and-one with Barbados goalkeeper Morrison Taylor.

Boucicaut was composed and hit the net with a cool, expert finish for Haiti, who had beaten Martinique in their opening game on Friday.

An electricity failure near the end held up play for about 10 minutes and when the game re-started, Haiti got a second goal in stoppage time.

Barbadian Gregory Goodridge - as the last defender - missed an attempted clearance of a high ball and allowed substitute Roody Lormera to run unchallenged at goal.

Lormera settled the ball as he entered the box and side-footed a low shot past Taylor as the Haitians swept to maximum six points from their two games.