Heartbreak!:“Gwada Boys” too much for Golden Jags in Gold Cup qualifier

It was heartbreak in south-eastern Florida for Guyana’s senior men’s national football team, the Golden Jaguars, who had their dreams of competing in a second CONCACAF Gold Cup Group stage crushed.
At the DRV PNK Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, the Golden Jaguars took on Guadeloupe’s “Les Gwada Boys” for a chance to seal a spot in Group D of the Gold Cup’s main draw. However, fate would not have it as the Jaguars went on to lose 2-0 to their Guadeloupean counterparts.
The Golden Jaguars opted for a single change in their starting line-up, which saw Tre Mitford coming in for an injured Emery Welshman. The remainder of the XI read: Goalkeeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle, Captain Samuel Cox, Jonathan Grant, Jalen Jones, Liam Gordon, Elliot Bonds, Deon Moore, Neil Danns, Kadell Daniel and Omari Glasgow.
McKenzie-Lyle had his hands full from very early on in the game, as Guadeloupe hunted an early goal. However, the weather would play devil’s advocate as the heavens opened in South Florida. The rain lasted in excess of an hour and future occurrences would dampen the Jaguars’ spirits, much like the conditions at the DRV PNK Stadium.
Just three minutes after the teams took to the field again, Anthony Barron battled on the line and managed to get in the cross before he went out of bounds. The shot found the feet of Guyana’s Liam Gordon, whose miniscule movement sent the ball into the back of the nets in the 18th minute, well out of reach of McKenzie-Lyle.
Even with the 1-0 own goal advantage, Guadeloupe did not let up, but McKenzie-Lyle stepped up to the challenge, executing mighty saves in the 35th and 40th minutes. The half ended with the score still stuck at 1-0.
Guyana began the second segment with what appeared to be fresh vigour, but their intensity was short-lived as the “Gwada Boys” adjusted to Guyana’s newfound urgency.
The “Gwada Boys” had much to celebrate minutes later, as a tangle between players resulted in Guadeloupe being awarded a free kick.
Andrew Gravillon converted the set piece, sending it into the left corner of the goal for his first international goal and Guadeloupe’s second in the game.
The second strike was met with three rapid changes on the Golden Jaguars. Captain Cox, Danns and Daniel exited the game as Stephen Duke-McKenna, Leo Lovell, and Kelsey Benjamin entered respectively.
The two sides kept things quiet in the ensuing minutes with much back and forth and that’s the way it remained until the dying minutes of the game.
Guyana’s first real chance of the second half came when a sprinting Omari Glasgow squared the ball just in front the face of the goal in the 86th minute, however, Deon Moore was off his game, missing the obvious opportunity to tap it in for Guyana’s first. Glasgow later took matters into his own hands in the 90th +1, with a shot that resembled his goal-scoring effort in the first game against Grenada. But the goal’s custodian, Davy Rouyard gobbled it up just in time.
Eventually, the final whistle sounded with the Golden Jaguars being unable to find a way through Guadeloupe’s tight defence.
The “Gwada Boys” will go on to play in Group D of the Gold Cup against Canada, Cuba, and Guatemala. (Jemima Holmes)