Danns stars as Jaguars almost capture their prey

CONCACAF Gold Cup

By Jemima Holmes

Neil Danns was the man of the hour for the Guyana Golden Jaguars at the First Energy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. He scored the country’s first ever goal in the fifteen-year history of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Jordan Dover takes a ball to the head in the Guyana vs Panama encounter

However, this achievement was tinged with disappointment, as the Golden Jags went down to Panama 4-2 in a game that could have easily gone the way of these South Americans.
This is Guyana’s second loss in its Gold Cup debut run, after going down to defending champions USA 4-0 last Tuesday evening in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Guyana’s starting XI has seen some changes compared to their first encounter, with usual Captain Samuel Cox being given the nod to start. Goal-keeper Akel Clarke, Liam Gordon, Terrence Vancooten, Matthew Briggs, Jordan Dover, Elliott Bonds, Neil Danns, Emery Welshman and Callum Harriott were all staples in the trusted XI, while Torell Ondaan was brought in earlier in the place of Keanu Marsh Brown.

A glimpse of the Golden Jags’ action against Panama

Although it was another crushing loss for the boys in yellow, they will head back to the drawing board to determine whether they could have been the ones rejoicing, had it not been for some silly mistakes on the part of the players, which eventually cost the entire team.
In a commendable performance, Emery Welshman wasted no time in testing the Panamanian goalie, but Luis Mejia was poised every time to scoop up Welshman’s tries.
Abdiel Arroyo was the first player to poke a hole in the Guyanese defense: in the 16th minute of play, as he charged towards the goal keeper with intent. Clarke, in turn, rushed out to meet Arroyo, but missed his mark, leaving the goal wide open for Arroyo to score as he pleased.
Despite the early goal on Panama’s part, the Guyanese continued to hold their own, and saw a glimmer of hope in the 33rd, when they were awarded a penalty. Taken by Neil Danns, the midfielder made no mistake in levelling the scores 1-1.
Guyana’s nightmare then began in the 40th minute, when what should have been a deflection off Terrence Vancooten’s right foot ended up in the goal for an own goal.
The horrors continued as three Guyanese players were shown the yellow card in quick succession between the end of the first half and the very beginning of the second. A tackle in the box on the part of Liam Gordon afforded Panama a penalty, and although it was cleanly saved by Guyana’s Clarke, a raised flag by the assistant referee signalled that Clarke was off his line before the penalty shot came, giving Erick Davis a second chance at the goal, which he penetrated.
Substitutions in the second half saw Stephen Duke McKenna, Anthony Jeffrey and Keanu Marsh Brown replacing Elliott Bonds, Torell Ondaan and Callum Harriott in the 55th and 66th respectively.
Assisted by a pass from Alberto Quintero, Gabriel Torres was able to comfortably head the ball past the Guyanese goalkeeper for Panama’s fourth and final goal.
A late foul from Valentin Pimentel (90+1) afforded Guyana the opportunity of another penalty, which was again taken by Neil Danns. Danns bested the Panamanian Goalkeeper for the second time that night to register Guyana’s second goal for a losing cause.
As a result of Saturday’s loss, Guyana will not be able to make it into the knockout stages, but the Golden Jaguars will play their final group game against Caribbean counterparts Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday June 26 at the Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.