Guyana advance to Olympic second round for first time
By Isaiah Chappelle
(In association with Caribbean Star Airlines, Carib and Swiss House Cambio)
Guyana Chronicle
October 14, 2003
THE National Under-12 team rewrote local Olympic football history, advancing to the second round for first time with a 5-3 aggregate over Barbados, Sunday.
Guyana, however, lost a tough second leg match to Barbados at the National Stadium there, 2-1, under adverse conditions.
Technical Director Neider Dos Santos told Chronicle Sport: “It was very hard conditions we had. The ground was not marked. The 16-metre box could not be seen, but the Barbadians are familiar with the ground. Barbados played with six pegs, while only the goalkeeper had for Guyana.
The others played with 13 pegs because they have only one pair of boots and they were sliding. We could not play our football.”
The touring side were placed in a dressing which could not accommodate the 23 members, and the floor had water. The Barbados coach even cursed the technical director and an official.
But Dos Santos praised the resilience of the team. Said he: “We were two goals down and they only needed one more to win the tie. But we came back and scored against them. I have seen some professional teams getting down after this kind of pressure playing away, but we kept to our plan and were able to score a goal that definitely killed Barbados’ intentions to move forward.”
Guyana will now meet Costa Rica in Costa Rica on November 16, a Sunday, with the return leg fixed for November 19 here.
“We are now going to play a professional team. We crossed the line of amateurism. Two players played against Brazil in the World Cup. Everything that we now achieve is profit. We accomplished what we set out to do, to advance to the second round. We’re now going to the tough line of professional football,” Dos Santos said.
The game was deadlocked nil-all at halftime, but Neil Harvey and Shane Mark found the net midway in the second half and Guyana were 2-0 down. But Devon Millington sealed the issued with a late goal for the visitors.
Guyana, however, rocked the net within two minutes of play. In a raid down the left flank, Elton Browne sent a pass to centre, Millington took a shot and Gregory Richardson finished with a neat flat right foot shot from five metres out.
The stadium thundered with delighted shouts from the huge Guyana presence, only to see the referee disallow the goal as an offside strike.
However, Barbados forced the first six corners in the half in the 11th minute, as the game developed into a see-saw, Guyana getting two corners. But Guyana’s Andrew Durant had a bad game as he fumbled with the ball on several occasions.
Guyana again went close to scoring with a nice build-up from the right wing, but the diagonal shot from Browne zoomed past the last post, with the goalkeeper on the ground.
In the 33rd minute, Damian Husbands received a good through pass and shot from the right edge of the box, with Durant tipping the ball over the crossbar.
Shortly after, Guyana forced the Barbadian goalkeeper Jason Boxhill and he kicked the ball straight to Millington at right, who collected and passed to centre, and a free Browne shot straight to the goalkeeper.
Just before halftime, Durant again fumbled and the defence had to kick away the ball from the line.
Barbados made a change at the start of the second half. Guyana forced the first corner of the half, but only got one more against seven for Barbados.
However, ten minutes in, Millington at the right of the box and close to the goal line, crossed with captain Shawn Beveney shooting straight to the goalkeeper from three metres out.
Three minutes later it was Travis Waterton’s turn to kick the ball straight to the welcome clutches of Boxhill and just two more minutes elapsed when Jonathan Peters put the ball again to the advancing Boxhill leaving a clear goal.
The rain came 20 minutes into the half and the Guyanese players could not react fast enough under the slippery surface with 13 pegs. Fortunately, Durant was more settled and deflected some good shots to goal.
Barbados made one more substitution in the 74th minute and a minute later, Harvey dribbled the defence inside the box, and took a right foot shot from five metres out to rock the net.
Guyana introduced fresh legs in Travis Grant at midfield in the 80th minute, taking off Browne from the strike. Richardson move into strike from midfield. Barbados also made their third substitution, shortly after.
Then in the 85th minute, a mix-up ensued in the box from a corner taken from the right and Mark finished with right foot shot from five metres out to take Barbados 2-0 up.
But two minutes later, Guyana raided down the right wing, a pass went to centre, the forward dummied and Millington finished with a stiff right foot shot from ten metres out past the goalkeeper.