The Villa man scored twice in a 4-2 win against Puerto Rico.
Leandro Bacuna may have had a tough time of it recently with Aston Villa – but he the toast of his nation this week after international heroics.
Bacuna is a former Dutch under-21 international, but he pledged his international allegiance to the Caribbean island of Curacao in March.
Leandro Bacuna of Aston Villa (L) and Johnny Russell of Derby County in action
Bacuna formerly played for the Netherlands Antilles under-18s. The country is no more – breaking up in 2010 and the island of Curacao now play international football on their own merit.
Now they have completed an amazing emergence from the shadows, to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time.
Aston Villa’s Leandro Bacuna shoots past the challenge of Sunderland’s Wes Brown
Last night they defeated Puerto Rico to ensure their first ever qualification for the continental competition since playing under the Curacao name – where they will face off with the likes of the United States, Mexico and Canada.
They went 2-0 down in the tie but Bacuna scored the equaliser just before half-time. He then scored again in extra time as Curacao won 4-2 to qualify for the competition.
Everton’s Gareth Barry in action with Aston Villa’s Leandro Bacuna
Bacuna now has four goals for his country, where he plays in a very advanced position.
Aston Villa fans would love to see the 25-year-old reproduce such form for his club after three disappointing seasons at Villa Park.
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