Glasgow leads with 3 as Junior Jags thump Virgin Islands 5-1

The Junior Jaguars picked up a well-deserved three points on Monday afternoon, following their CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifiers encounter with the US Virgin Islands, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Omari Glasgow’s performance was befitting his captaincy role as he injected three strikes into the opposition, along with another two from teammates Darron Niles and Ravi Coates to hand Guyana a 5-1 victory.

Guyana’s Under-20 starting XI featured Glasgow, Joshua Narine, Kehance Scott, Sealon Sue, Devon Padmore, Brandon Solomon, Alex Davidson, Jerome Harrigan, Darron Niles, Keenan Harper, and Perry Gaul.
While an early chance in the 16th minute went a begging for the Guyanese, the local boys soon found themselves in a deficit owing to a red-card incident.
Perry Gaul was the unlucky Jaguar, as he tried to manoeuvre in a tough spot between two Virgin Islands players, Julius Brown (C) and Jair Whyte, but instead took a tumble alongside Whyte.
What appeared to be grabbing of the uniform by Gaul landed him in hot water and the Junior Jaguars were a man down. In a show of poor sportsmanship, the Virgin Islands’ Naqwan Henry did a celebratory dance as Gaul walked off.

However, all was not lost for Guyana as Glasgow soon took the scoring into his own hands. Working with an assist from Niles, Glasgow effected a sliding kick to beat the goalkeeper and register Guyana’s first goal in the 34th minute. Seven minutes later, Glasgow charged to the goal again. This time, the goalkeeper, Dimitri Nieboer, was well outside his area and lost his footing as the Guyanese Captain eased past him for a comfortable goal.
After assisting, it was Niles’ time to shine in the 45th minute. The Santos FC player took an assist from Glasgow and with a long strike on the edge of the box, sealed a 3-0 lead for Guyana at the half.

The beginning of the second half was not what the Guyanese imagined it would be as their opponents fought back fiercely. A hand ball saw the Virgin Islanders being awarded a penalty and Henry successfully connected the opportunity for his team’s first (55th).
Glasgow, however, cut short their celebrations with his third goal in the 57th.
Much later, Coates made the most of a substitution opportunity by adding one to Guyana’s tally. Subbed in for Alex Davidson in the 76th minute, Coates struck in the 87th minute, as Guyana finished the encounter 5-1.
Guyana’s next and final Group game will come on Wednesday, November 10 against Nicaragua. The Junior Jaguars currently have four points, with a draw against Cayman Islands and the win on Monday, making it a must-win game for the Guyanese, if they are to advance out of the Group.
The CONCACAF Under-20 Qualifiers are not only the gateway tournament to the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in 2022, but also the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2023 and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. (Jemima Holmes)