It wasn’t the best of starts for Guyana’s under-20 men’s national football team the Junior Jags in Antigua and Barbuda, as they suffered a 4-0 opening loss to the hosts on Friday afternoon.
Head Coach Kayode McKinnon opted for a starting XI that read Captain Solomon Austin, Goalkeeper Emmanuel Lewis, Gerry Burnette, Tyrese Lyle, Tyler Lyle, Tyrel Stephen, Kvist Paul, Nathaniel Pydana, Kyle Reid, Brandon Khedoo and Matrim Martin.
Antigua’s ‘Benna Boys’ (yellow) got the better of the Junior Jaguars
The nightmare began as early as the 2nd minute, when Lewis executed a save at the corner of his station but could not get his hands on the rebound shot by Javaughn Parker, which went into the opposite corner of the net.
Then a foul in the box gifted Antiguan Captain Aiden Jarvis a penalty opportunity, which he successfully connected in the 16th. Two minutes later, the score moved to 3-0 with a Christopher Douglas strike.
The Junior Jags managed to hold off their opponents for much of the remainder of the game, but Javaughn Jarvis sneaked one in in the 84th.
The Junior Jaguars will continue their campaign tomorrow, against El Salvador at the same venue.
The Guyanese under-20 team is in Group B of the CONCACAF Qualifiers, alongside Antigua and Barbuda, EL Salvador, Suriname, and Turks and Caicos. The winner of the group will advance to the Under-20 Championships, scheduled for later this year.
