20 seconds! 20 seconds was all it took to break the Golden Jaguars’ momentum and handicap another 90 minutes of play. That’s the way it went on Thursday night when the Guyana Senior Men’s National Team took on their counterparts from Trinidad and Tobago in the qualifier match.
For the starting XI, Head Coach Marcio Maximo opted for Sam Cox (C), Trayon Bobb, Keanu Marsh-Browne, Matthew Briggs, Miguel Scarlett, Akel Clarke (G), Emery Welshman, Daniel Wilson, Kadell Daniel and Callum Harriott.
The opposition TT side consisted of Michel poon-Angeron, Neveal Hackshaw, Nicklas Frenderup, Sheldon Bateau, Khaleem Hyland, Daniel Phillips, Robert Primus, Ryan Tefler, Aubrey David, Levi Garcia and Joevin Jones. They got the first run.
Part of the action in the encounter between Guyana and T&T (TTFA Media)
By the 20th second of the first session, Trinidad’s intentions were clear as day, and the tempo was set for the remaining 44 minutes and 40 seconds. T&T’s Joevin Jones charged at the Guyanese goal with lethal determination, but fate spared Guyana the immediate disappointment, with Jones missing the goal by inches.
Guyana, however, would not get the courtesy of two spares, as first goal game in the 7th minute. Two Guyanese defenders were charged with being Levi Garcia’s security detail, and they did quite a messy job of it, thereby allowing the Trinidadian international player to escape on the line adjacent to the goal. Garcia took his best shot from the adjacent position, and a poised Akel Clarke could not get a finger on the lightning-fast shot.
Between the moments of the Soca Warriors’ first and second goals, the Golden Jaguars missed what could have been the equaliser and the leading goal in the space of minutes. A free kick just outside the box was on mark, but went awry at the final moments, and a diving kick from Trayon Bobb off of an Emery Welshman assist missed the corner of the goal.
The four-man defense appeared incomparable to the Trinidadian front runners, indicative of their second goal coming in only the 15th. Sheldon Bateau was the man directing the free kick, and Kadell Daniel candidly moved out of the way, giving the ball a clear passage to the goal. All it took was the hip of Ryan Tefler to guide it home for the Twin Island Republic’s second and Tefler’s first.
Akel Clarke finally showed up for the game in the 30th, following a controversial penalty awarded to the ‘Trinis’. Trayon Bobb, hunting possession, reached between the legs of Jones in pursuit of the ball, but was unlucky, as his opposition writhed in pain in the box.
The penalty was unsuccessful for Trinidad, however, as Jones missed three opportunities to find the back of the net.
Guyana’s custodian, Clarke, pulled off the save of the night when he stopped the penalty with a right dive, a second attempt with a left dive, and a third with a fist upwards.
The euphoria of Clarke’s heroics vanished fleetingly as he attempted a forward pursuit to stop a try at the goal. Clarke dived and missed as Tefler safely led the ball to the goal in a few jogs in the 44th minute.
The woes banked up on the Golden Jags as two more goal opportunities went abegging in the 27th and 38th.
With three goals on the board, the Soca Warriors didn’t seem too keen on pushing any urgency in the second half, making for a lackluster set of plays.
The visibly worn-out Soca Warriors held their nerve still, blocking any attempts that the Guyanese may have had at the nets. The closest the Golden Jaguars came in the second to registering a goal was Callum Harriot’s stray shot following up on a Welshman assist.
On a positive note, 4 of Guyana’s 5 substitutes (Omari Glasgow, Job Caesar, Kelsey Benjamin and Pernell Schultz) were locals. The homebred boys, in spite of not scoring, had a commendable run, lending a hand in restricting Trinidad to just three goals.
Thus far, Trinidad and Tobago sit on top of Group F, while St Kitts and Nevis have a similar three points after defeating Puerto Rico 1-0 on Wednesday. (Jemima Holmes)
