T&T coach Angus Eve blamed immaturity on the path of his players after this country’s Under-20 men’s football team on three occasions squandered a one-goal advantage and even trailed before drawing 4-4 with Haiti in their Group F opener of the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship at the Francisco Morazan Stadium, in Honduras, on Sunday night.
Nathaniel James, who celebrated his 18th birthday on Friday, put the Soca Warriors in front in the second minute of play with an opportune finish, but Haiti responded with the 1-1 equaliser in the 30th through Watz Leazard.
Kaihim Thomas restored T&T’s lead at 2-1 in the 40th with a gem of a free kick, only for 2022 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield Best Young Player Award winner Steevenson Jeudy to equalise from the penalty spot three minutes later for a 2-2 halftime scoreline.
It was just as intense in the second half, with Jeudy scoring again in the 53rd with a powerful header off a corner to give Haiti their first lead of the match at 3-2, but back came T&T and goals from Real Gill in the 70th and James’ second score in the 72nd to make it 4-3 to the Soca Warriors going into the final minutes. However, after a stoppage for lightning for about 30 minutes at the 79th-minute mark, T&T substitute Andrew De Gannes and captain Molik Khan both wasted chances to put the result to rest before the contest twisted again in Haiti’s favour, as Bryan Destin scored in the 90th minute to complete the 4-4 scoreline.
Speaking after the pulsating match, the first meeting between both teams at the Concacaf level Eve first admitted that the match was an enthralling one.
He said, “A lot of emotions actually. I thought the guys did really well and it’s pointed to note that we have the youngest team in here (tournament) and a lot of the guys are 17 now turning 18 and a lot of the guys are just a lot more mature than them. And you saw the immaturity in our guys sometimes in the type of play that they would have made.”
He continued, “But all in all, I’m very proud of them. We went up twice in the match and then three times in the end and went down and then we came back up again, so a lot of emotions and stoppages for about 30 minutes, a lot of lightning and I mean it was a normal soap opera tonight.”
Reflecting on the game against the Haitians, Eve said he was pleased with the team’s fight. “I think the few times that we put down the ball we can see that we can play and we can match with the other teams. Haiti is a very good team and I give them credit and it seems like I am always coaching against a Trinidadians anytime I am coaching in the Caribbean these days but we played and you saw a lot of the kids like Nathaniel James who just turned 18 on Saturday scored two wonderful goals. ‘The guys who came on Real Gill and Andrew De Gannes were fantastic and they fit in like normal.”
He pointed out, “Also, you saw the versatility of the players when Kai went back at right-back and you know it was seeming less and we scored really good goals today. It wasn’t scruffled goals that we haven’t been scoring in some of those practice matches and I told the guys just keep on doing what we have been doing and it will come and it came, but unfortunately, we didn’t keep them out.”
With regards to the stoppage for lightning when T&T was on top 4-3 and in full control of the contest with ten minutes left to play Eve explained, “I thought that we had all the momentum at the time and unfortunately we had to go off the field no fault of anybody as the weather was bad and I think we lose a bit of the momentum and the game evened back up again and sometimes it happens like that.”
Looking ahead to the match with 13-time winners and Concacaf powerhouse Mexico tonight at the same venue from 10.30 pm (T&T time) Eve said it will be very difficult conditions in a very important tournament.
“As you know Concacaf is using it both as an Under-20 and Olympic qualifiers, it kinds of baffles me but that’s what they are doing and we are losing the next generation of players but we just have to go and do our recovery and try and recover as best as possible to play the next game in a couple of days time. The Mexicans will enter the match at the top of the group after downing Suriname 8-0.
Gill who came off the bench to inject new life into the T&T game and scored on his debut to level the match at 3-3 said it was a great feeling to score.
Gill of local club Terminix La Horquetta Rangers who dedicated his wonder strike to his mom added, “To score your first goal for your country is something I always dreamed of as a child.
Having missed the warm-up matches due to an injury Gill said, “It was a tough one watching from the sidelines as the team was playing pretty good and I was just anxious to come back on the squad and did what I did today.”
