The spectators turned out in their numbers to witness a fierce battle between Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago for youth supremacy in the CONCACAF U-20 tournament at the National Stadium in Kingston Jamaica on Friday.
It wasn’t a cool afternoon at the office as one would expect, in fact the young ‘Reggae Boyz’ were held hostage by the young ‘Soca Warriors’ as they gave up two goals in quick succession in the first half.
The game started with the Trinidadian team looking more purposeful going forward with Gomez and Garcia on either flanks teaming up well with Corbin to create havoc in the Jamaican defence.
The Jamaicans playing at home should have looked more composed on the ball, instead they were very nervous. This allowed T&T to move the ball around nicely with relative ease in order to penetrate Jamaica’s shambolic defence.
The Derek King led team was rewarded in the 7th minute when Garcia found an unmarked Andrews on the top of the Box with acres of space to shot. Andrews did so, superbly to the left of goalkeeper Nicholas Nelson for a 1-0 advantage.
T&T continued to dominate the game with The Reggae Boyz midfield making some atrocious passes in the middle. Trinidad’s defence seemingly built of cement and steel was hardly tested by Seaton the player from DC United, who Jamaica was expecting to get among the goals.
Waves of attacks from T&T gave Nelson more work than he anticipated in goal. In the 15th minute of play Nelson was called into action again, but his effort wasn’t good enough to match a quality strike from hit-man Corbin. With a 2-0 cushion and quarter of an hour gone T&T began to look comfortable and in control of the game.
The T&T custodian Johan Welch was relatively out of action and could be seen fooling around like Alice in Wonderland. His opposite number wasn’t that fortunate, though he was the only doubt coming into the game. He surprisingly passed a late fitness test and his fitness level was well tested too for the latter part of the first half as he came under constant pressure.
The first half ended with Trinidad and Tobago leading 2-0 having taken 12 shots, 9 on target to Jamaica’s 2 shots, both off target.
Coach Whitmore decided to pull Currie while Seaton was replaced due to injury at half time. He re-shaped the midfield from a box 4-4-2 to a a diamond midfield of 4-3-3.
With the introduction of Donte Smith on the resumption of the second half, Jamaica looked better going forward.
Jamaica pulled one back when Smith arrived at the near post to nod home a cross whipped in by the industrious Junior Flemmings.
Buoyed by the goal, the Jamaican’s sprung into action as they went in search of an equalizer.
Cardel Benbow, and the touch masters Luca Levee, pulled the strings from midfield. In the closing stages of the second half with Jamaica still trailing 2 goals to 1.
Jamaica was edging closer and closer, looking like the team that would most likely score. Smith tried to muscle his way through the Trinidadians defence but was fouled in a perfect position for Flemming to have a go.
With a Cristiano Ronaldo like stance over the ball, Flemming stunned the crowd with a gem of a free kick in the top corner right corner in time added on, to rescue a point for Jamaica.
It was a heroic second half performance from the local team to earn a well deserved 2-2 draw.
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