A communication error between T&T defender Justin Garcia and goalkeeper Marvin Phillip allowed the Reggae Boyz to prevail in a tense contest of the Unity Cup 3-2 at the GTECH Community Stadium in West London, on Tuesday (may 27).
The win propelled the Reggae Boyz into the final, where they will face the winner of the other semifinal match between African nations Nigeria and Ghana on May 31.
However, it left the Soca Warriors licking their wounds after coming from two goals down.
The score was 2-2 in the third minute of time added on when Garcia misjudged the pace of a pass to speedy Jamaican midfielder Renaldo Cephas and instead opted for a distant Phillip in goal to attempt to take the ball off Cephas’s feet.
But the Jamaican proved to be too fast in the end, and Phillip swiped Cephas off his feet in direct view of referee Barott, who immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Richard King then stepped up and beat Phillip in goal for the winner, which came mere moments before the game was set to enter a penalty shoot-out.
The Jamaicans ranked 64th in the FIFA world rankings as opposed to T&T’s 104th, expectedly settled early and twice came close from the freekicks from Rumarn Burrell that flew into the side nettings in the first 10 minutes of play.
Coach Dwight Yorke’s charges started slowly until Alvin Jones dashed forward only to see his right-footed attempt from on top of the Jamaican penalty area sail over.
The Jamaicans were then rewarded for their early advantage in possession in the 23rd minute. Renaldo Cephas, who was a real thorn in the T&T side, was set down the left flank, only for lanky defender Jamal Jack’s outstretched right boot to send him tumbling to the ground as he entered the T&T penalty area.
Referee Barott pointed to the penalty spot, which Kasey Palmer cheekily lifted past Phillip for a 1-0 advantage.
With the Warriors still reeling from a 1-0 loss and a 1-1 result against their Caribbean counterparts in two international friendly matches in February, Phillip twice went low to deny Kaheem Dixon’s rasping shot from close range in the 34th minute and then moments later from the same play, when Dixon lifted the ball to Kasey Palmer to meet with the header but not past Phillip in the T&T goal.
The Warriors settled when Molino, Daniel Phiilip and company combined in the midfield, showing late first-half promise when England-based Rio Cardines was released down the right flank, and his centre could not be controlled by Molino when it came to him before the halftime interval.
The Warriors later went two goals down when the teams returned to the pitch, courtesy of a defensive blunder on another Jamaican build-up. Jamal Jack and Cardines failed to stop Cephas from latching on to a loose ball, and the latter squeezed in a shot that Philip could only push as far as Burrell, who then connected with an overhead kick that flew into an empty T&T net in the 54th minute.
Despite this, however, Yorke’s men were not daunted by the Jamaican advantage, having pushed their rival back from earlier attacks. And from an almost immediate response, the Warriors reduced the deficit to 2-1 when Molino picked out an unmarked Isaiah Leacock on debut to take it with one touch before hitting low and hard past Shaquan Davis in the Jamaican goal in the 55th.
Though lifted by the occasion earlier, the Warriors were now comfortably in the game with World Cup qualifiers against St Kitts/Nevis and Costa Rica next month.
Yorke’s call for his charges to be competitive had become a reality, and in the 68th minute, they knotted up the score when Cardines, from the freekick, curled the ball past Davis and onto the post before Molino dashed in to head the ball into an open goal for the equaliser 2-2.
Both teams had chances to seal the win before the game entered time added on, which ended disastrously for the Warriors in the moments that followed with King’s goal.
TEAMS
JAMAICA
13 Shaquan Davis, 2 Dexter Lembikisa, 3 Amarii Bell, 4 Mason Holgate, 6 Richard King, 8 Kasey Palmer, 9 Kaheem Dixon, 14 Isaac Hayden, 17 Rumarn Burrell, 18 Jonathan Russell, 20 Renaldo Cephas, 1 Benjamin Williams, 5 Stephen Young, 7 Brandon Cover, 10 Ravel Morrison, 16 Sue-Lae McCalla, 19 Kyle Ming, 22 Gregory Leigh, 23 Tafari Chambers
T&T
1 Marvin Phillip, 2 Jelani Peters, 3 Joevin Jones, 4 Sheldon Bateau, 5 Jamal Jack, 6 Andre Raymond, 7 Noah Powder, 8 Daniel Phillip, 9 Duane Muckette, 10 Kevin Molino, 11 Isaiah Leacock, 12 Isaiah Lee, 13 Reon Moore, 14 John-Paul Rochford, 15 Dantaye Gilbert, 16 Alvin Jones, 17 Justin Garcia, 18 Rio Cardines, 19 Kristian Lee-Him, 20 Kaihim Thomas, 21 Jabari St Hillaire, 23 Brent Sam, 26 Shervohnez Hamilton
