Warriors defeats Golden Jaguars to go through to DCC finals

Read the full time update of the T&T vs Guyana match with Lasana Liburd.

Guyana came into this tournament with a FIFA ranking of 98 while the Warriors are at 106.

It is goalless after 22 minutes and fairly even although T&T goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams looks a little more worried than his opposing counterpart on set pieces. Walter Moore can really curl the ball and Dwain Jacobs isn't doing too badly from the other end either as they both deliver inswingers. Unsurprisingly, both are players with Caledonia AIA connections...

Daneil Cyrus started at right back while Kevin Molino is on the left flank. God knows what Keon Daniel or Kerry Baptiste need to do to get a start these days.

28 minute:
Williams just tips a Walter Moore effort from distance out of his top left corner and it goes behind for a corner kick.
T&T counter soon after an a lunging tackle from defender John Rodrigues blocks Jamal Gay at full stride in the Guyanese box.

30th minute:
Rodrigues is picking on Gay again and Jamaican referee Valdin Legister won't stand for that kind of discrimination. So it is a yellow card for that sliding tackle.

OWN GOAL ? .. by Guyana goalkeeper in the 34th minute!! Guyana custodian Ronson Williams cannot hold on to a Lester Peltier cross and fumbles the ball backward into his own net. A slice of good fortune for the hosts! ... I think Lester Peltier will get the credit for the goal as it went in straight from his cross of the keeper.

36th minute:
Now Clyde Leon clips the bar with a rocket from just outside the box. When Leon is getting into attacking areas, you know Guyana are in trouble. Interestingly, Leon's sole national goal came in his international debut against Guyana... Some 32 matches ago!

It was always a matter of when not if Jorsling would score... Guyanese midfielder Sean Cameron tried an trick outside his own area and Jamal Gay stripped him, sold him a clever dummy and then crossed for Devon Jorsling who held off his marker and rifled under the Guyanese goalie on the turn.

44th minute:
Anthony Abrams heads down for Devon Millington who drives over from inside the T&T area and Williams is livid. T&T don't keep many clean sheets under Latapy, it must be said.

Back to Jorsling... He has three goals and counting from as many internationals against Guyana while he has 12 international goals from 20 caps. All scored against Caribbean opposition.

Jorsling has nine goals so far this year and he is in his 11th game. Only thrice in the last 15 years has a local international striker managed double figures in a calendar year. Cornell Glen managed 10 goals from 16 outings in 2008 while Stern John bagged 10 goals from 11 games in 2004 and 13 goals from 11 games in 1998.

HALF TME: Soca Warriors go into the break 2-0. By the way, Haiti were 3-1 winners over St Vincent in the first match. The winner of this group will head to Martinique and the runners-up to Jamaica for the final stage.

Game restarted and Jamal Gay turns Howard Lowe but then blasts over within seconds of resumption.

Gay is in the mood now... He turns and powers pass John Rodrigues but his angled shot is turned around the post and a better placed Jorsling voices his displeasure at not receiving the ball.

52nd minute:
Densill Theobald replaces Clyde Leon. What is it with Russell Latapy and early changes that might have been made during the halftime break? Not that I am adverse to Theobald getting a run of course.

Guyana have never defeated T&T... Certainly not in the era of the iPod at least. And they are a shadow of themselves so far this half with the Warriors firmly in control.

58th minute:
Anthony Wolfe replaces Joevin Jones who looks to be carrying an injury.

Latapy's changes were spot on against St Vincent and the Grenadines. The only question is whether it is worth sending someone back on the field for five minutes and then yanking him off. In any case, it is surely another positive night for Latapy.

61st minute:
8.Dwain Ali replaces Sean Cameron in the centre of the Guyanese midfield.

67th minute:
Lester Peltier limps off and is replaced by Keon Daniel. One of Peltier's better performances in my book. There was a bit of variety on the ball and he seemed more attentive to his final ball.

70th minute:
Christopher Nurse just wide from inside the six yard box after Daneil Cyrus fails to cut out a left side cross... T&T still on course for a clean sheet.

73rd minute:
And there is Theobald's first 20-yarder... Cue cymbals please! Haha. Jorsling tried to make it run across his body and he would have been clear through on goal but Guyana right back Jake Newton was having none of it.

Anthony Wolfe is a nice, honest player but does anyone else think it is too soon for Russell Latapy's famous shirt to end up on the back of a workhorse?

75th minute:
Shawn Beveney replaces Guyana right flanker Dwain Jacobs.

77th minute:
Caution for Kevin Molino as he tumbles in area over the legs of the Guyanese goalkeeper looking for a penalty. It was Trent Noel who played him in. Seconds later, Guyana hit the near post through Abrams. Jan Michael is still praying to get through this unscathed.

80th minute:
GOAL Guyana. Shawn Beveney!  That goal was clearly in the making. It came after an exchange down T&T's left side and Beveney's low shot squirmed under Jan Michael Williams. T&T just one goal ahead now. 2-1.

83rd minute:
Molino down clutching his right knee and Latapy has already made all his substitutions. Despite the close result, this game lacks the pace and intensity of Trinidad and Tobago's opening group fixture, which was a 6-2 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines. A bit more thoughtful from Latapy's men but not fluid yet.

86th minute:
Molino is back on and relieves Jorsling who had retreated to take up his duties.

While Jorsling has nine goals in this calendar year alone, T&T's most high profile strikers, Kenwyne Jones and Jason Scotland, have four and eight career international senior goals respectively. Read into that what you will... To be fair, neither Scotland or Jones played in a Caribbean Cup to my recollection... Am I correct?

Guyana are playing for a honourable defeat and they are going to get it too. If ever there was a game for an early exit, this is it. Definitely an inferiority complex by our neighbours. Arguably deserved though.

Final whistle and Trinidad and Tobago are through to the Digicel Caribbean Cup finals where Latapy has been told to win or get lost by Sport Minister Anil Roberts. I paraphrase. A fairly comfortable victory although still some rungs short of inspiring.

Individually, there were improved performances from the younger players with a decent debut by Ma Pau midfielder Kevin Molino, an accomplished performance by left back Joevin Jones and some flickers of menace from Jamal Gay. Up next for T&T, they face Haiti on Saturday for the top spot.

Teams

T&T: - 1.Jan Michael Williams; 3.Yohance Marshall, 6.Daneil Cyrus, 14.Joevin Jones (10.Anthony Wolfe 58th), 16.Julius James; 2.Clyde Leon (capt), (18.Densill Theobald 52nd), 8.Trent Noel, 15.Lester Peltier (19.Keon Daniel 67th), 20.Kevin Molino (Yellow 77); 9.Devon Jorsling, 17.Jamal Gay.

Unused Subs: - 4.Kerry Baptiste, 7.Hughtun Hector, 13.Kendall Jadgeosingh, 5.Kern Cupid, 21.Marvin Phillip, 12.Shahdon Winchester.

Guyana: - 1.Ronson Williams, 2.Christopher Nurse, 3.Howard Lowe (capt), 4.Christopher Bourne, 5.Walter Moore, 6.Jake Newton, 7.Dwain Jacobs (15.Shawn Beveney 75th), 10.Anthony Abrams, 11.John Rodrigues, 14.Sean Cameron (8.Dwain Ali 61st), 18.Devon Millington.

Referee: - Valdin Legister (Jamaica).

Video: - Highlights.

Standings.

P  W  D  L  F  A  Pts
T&T  2  2  0  0  8  3  6
Haiti  2  1  1  0  3  1  4
Guyana 2  0  1  1  1  2  1
St Vincent  2  0  0  2  3  9  0

Hosts book place to the Digicel Caribbean Cup Finals.
digicelfootball.com.

Trinidad and Tobago recorded their second straight victory in Group F action of the Digicel Caribbean Cup to secure their passage to the Finals in Martinique next month. This came by way of a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Guyana at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium on Thursday night.

It was left to goals by Lester Peltier in the 34th minute and in-form striker Devorn Jorsling in the 42nd minute to secure the three points for the hosts. Guyana scored their goal in the 78th minute through substitute Sean Beveney to make it a tense finale for the hosts.

Unlike their opening victory, T&T could not pull away from their opponents as Guyana was a more disciplined and organized unit than St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In fact, Guyana almost sneaked ahead in the 6th minute when goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams dropped a corner from Dwain Jacobs but luckily for T&T Peltier was on spot to avert danger.

Guyana looked eager to attack in the opening stages and had T&T a little nervous at the back. On 30 minutes, Williams redeemed himself and did very well to push out Walter Moore’s stinging long range effort.

The Warriors came into the match a little more and drew first blood against the Jaguars. In the 34th Minute Peltier swung a deep cross from close the right corner flag which deceived Guyana goalkeeper Ronson Williams and out of what appeared a relatively innocuous situation the Warriors had the lead. This helped to settle the home side even further and they played with more confidence.

Three minutes later T&T almost doubled their lead when captain Clyde Leon saw his blistering effort crash off the crossbar. On 42 minutes, Jorsling would do further damage. After good work on the left by Jamal Gay, Jorsling collected, turned and fired home a low drive much to the delight of the home fans.

On the resumption of the first half, Gay should have tripled the T&T advantage, we were only a minute in when his shot missed the target from very close range and soon after he shot straight at the Guyana custodian.

T&T were keen to finish off the Jaguars but found it difficult to apply the final touch when chances presented themselves. Jorsling had a couple of further misses before Beveney punished T&T for a defensive lapse when he drove home from inside the penalty area to cause some anxious moments in the closing ten minutes. But the Warriors held on for the crucial three points and deservedly so, on the balance of play over the 90 minutes, moving to six points in the Group.

Guyana coach Wayne Dover was extremely upset with the loss, “I’m disappointed. There are no two ways about that. I thought we did well against a very good Trinidad and Tobago team but I’m disappointed in the manner in which we lost.

We could have come back in the second half but we conceded badly and we paid for it now we have to hope that Trinidad does us a favour against Haiti and we will go for the win against St Vincent to keep our qualifying chances alive,” said Dover.

T&T’s Russell Latapy credited his players for holding on for the win, “my players came here tonight and completed a job and did what was asked of them which was to get three points and move on to the finals in Martinique.

We did just that. I was pretty pleased with the performance from all my players. Yes there are some areas to work on and it continues to be a work in progress.

We were up against a Guyana side that had nothing to lose and they saw it that way whether they lost 1-0, 3-0 or 4-0 it would still be a loss so they decided to go with the extra men in attack in the second half which meant we had to be a bit tight.

But all in all, I’m pleased with the win and now we will look to finish with a third victory against Haiti on Saturday,” said Latapy.

Trinidad & Tobago: 1. Jan M. Williams 2. Clyde Leon 3. Yohance Marshall 6. Daniel Cyrus 8. Trent Noel 9. Devon Jorsling 14. Jovin Jones 15. Lester Peltier 16. Julius James 17. Jamal Gay 20. Kevin Molino.

Coach: Russell Latapy.

Guyana: 1. Ronson Williams 2. Chris Nurse 3. Howard Lowe (Capt) 4. Christopher Bourne 5. Walter Moore 6. Jake Newton 7. Dwain Jacobs 10. Anthony Abrams 11. John Rodrigues 14. Sean Cameron 18. Devon Millington.

Coach: Wayne Dover.

Referee: Valdin Legister - Jamaica
Assistant Referee 1 – Mark Sullivan - Jamaica
Assistant Referee 2 –– Adrian Goddard - Barbados
Commissioner – Dale Spenser – Jamaica.