Guyana makes clean sweep of Group 'H'
Dominican Republic hammered 4-0 in final group match
By Michael DaSilva
Stabroek News
November 29, 2006
Nigel `Powers' Codrington (out of photo) hits home Guyana's third goal in the team's 4-0 Digicel Caribbean Cup win against the Dominican Republic yesterday at the GCC ground, Bourda (Photo by Lawrence Fanfair).
Guyana hammered the Dominican Republic 4-0 in their final second round Group `H' match of the Digicel Caribbean Cup Football Tournament at the GCC ground yesterday.
A goal each from Gregory "Jackie Chan' Richardson (45th), Randolph Jerome (49th), Nigel `Powers' Codrington (57th) and Collie 'Hit Man' Hercules (79th) enabled Guyana to register her sixth consecutive victory in the tournament and her 15th to date.
Yesterday's four goals make it a total of 23 that the local ball weavers have so far scored in the tournament, while only conceding two.
Yesterday also, Guade-loupe registered a 3-1 win against Antigua through goals from Constant Theresine I in the 1st minute, Jean-Luc Lambourde (35th) and Gerald Gavarin (70th). Antigua's lone goal came off the boot of Gason Gregory in the 45th minute.
In the feature match, Richardson opened Guyana's account after dominating most of the first session.
Midfielder Leslie Holligan received a pass on the right flank from the centre, lobbed the ball into the Dominican Republic's 18-yard box and Codrington headed it to Richardson at second post, while the Spanish custodian Miguel Lloyd was caught flat footed at first post and the lanky Richardson clinically tucked it into the goal with a first time left footed shot.
After starting very slowly in the first half, the locals upped the ante from the start of the second period and were rewarded for their purposeful play four minutes into the session when Codrington, in one of his many raids on the opposition's defence made a left footed pass from the top of the 18-yard box to Jerome who, like Richardson, executed a clinical first time shot that directed the ball into the goal at the far post.
This was however after the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 43rd minute of the first period after Felix Mejia was red carded by referee Neal Brizan. Mejia was also yellow carded in the 40th minute of the session for dangerous play.
Twelve minutes into the second session Codrington sent the Guyanese further ahead after Kayoed McKinnon was fouled in the visitors' 18-yard box by the Spanish central defender Freddy Medina who subsequently was issued with a yellow card by Brizan.
The resulting penalty was taken by Codrington who directed the ball to the right side of the opposition's goal while Miguel Lloyd choose to go to the left side.
While Guyana continued to dominate the game, their custodian Clive Jason Lloyd was relaxed in his protective area, occasionally shouting instructions to his team members.Hercules who replaced Richardson in the 6oth minute further extended Guyana's lead 11 minutes before the end of regulation time.
Guyana was awarded her second corner in the session and this was taken by Walter Moore from the right corner flag.
The ball was lobbed into the Dominican Republic's 12-yard box from where the `Hit Man' rose off his feet and headed it into the back of the visitors' net.
For the entire 90 minutes of regulation time, the locals nick named `Golden Jaguars', took a total of eight direct shots to the opposition's goal, scoring four times, including the header that scored from a corner kick and the penalty from Codrington.
One direct shot was taken in the first session and seven in the second.
The visitors on the other hand had a mere one direct shot to Guyana's goal (first half) and debutant Clive Jason Lloyd brought off a brilliant save to deprive them of a goal.
Totals of three corners were awarded in the entire game and all three were awarded to the `Golden Jaguars' who have secured a place in next year's finals to be played in Trinidad from January 31.
At the post match press conference, the locals' technical director Trinidadian Jamaal Shabazz praised his charges for a job well done and for playing as a team.
Asked for his thoughts on his team's performance, Shabazz admitted that the locals started off slowly, but noted that the opposition packed their defence, causing his charges to think it out and play with patience and lots of wisdom "and eventually we did in the second half and I thought that that was good professionalism on the part of the players, because in the first half it was very tight and guys could have gotten angry with each other, but we worked it out and we got the results."
Asked the reason for the `Golden Jaguars' starting slowly in the first session then accelerating in the second half, the Trinidadian said that a team would have to start slowly if the opposition brought all their players in their half; "You coming up against 11 men, it's crazy, you have to bring them out and find space, because there was no space, because by virtue, the enemy teaches you how to fight, you could come with how you want to fight, how you plan to play, but if the opponent do you something else, what do you do? You have to adjust. So this was the moment for us."
Speaking through an interpreter, Dominican Republic's Technical Director blamed his team's loss on not being able to practise together as a team since the players are from all over the region. "But after the red card was issued, that was the cause for the players' psychology and the confidence was lost
Guyana's captain McKinnon said it was a privilege for him to captain a winning team especially since it was his birth anniversary "So it was a good opportunity for me to lead my troops today (yesterday) and coming out victorious."