On the heels of losses in the first leg, Guyana’s Under-17 boys’ and girls’ national teams are having a successful return leg in the friendly series against Suriname, with both registering victories on Saturday.
The first two games of the return leg in Guyana was hosted at the Guyana Football Federation’s National Training Centre (NTC) at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD), where the girls’ team got the ball rolling with 3-1 victory over Suriname’s girls.
After several tense build-ups, Guyana’s Ellie Biffin was able to break the ice between the teams of the two neighbouring countries, finding the back of the net in the 33rd minute. Five minutes later, Aliya John beat the keeper, to give Guyana a 2-0 lead at the half.
A look at Guyana’s boys’ U17 team (yellow) in action against Suriname
In the second half, Kimora Edwards, who had been entrusted with the captain’s armband for the encounter, rose to the occasion, scoring in the 69th minute.
Suriname had managed to pull one back in the second half, but it was not enough to match Guyana’s dominance at home, as the hosts won the first of two friendlies over the weekend, 3-1.
An aggressive battle between the boys followed the girls’ game, keeping the smattering of parents and other supporters gathered at the NTC on the edge of their seats.
Both Guyana and Suriname had their fair share of near-misses, but neither side was clinical enough in the first half to complete a solid finish, resulting in a deadlock at the half.
However, an exhilarating build-up in the 18-yard box resulted in Guyana’s game-winning goal at the top of the second half. Macaiah DeFreitas drove the ball into the box and passed it off to Ezekiel Baldeo in the middle for the finish, but when Baldeo was unsuccessful, the ball found its way to the right wing, where Quancey Fraser was waiting to send the shot into the corner of the net.
The second game for both the boys’ and girls’ were scheduled to be contested on Sunday at the same venue.
