T&T Soca Warriors and the Jamaica Reggae Boyz battled to a dull goalless draw in their second international friendly at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima on Sunday.
Beaten 1-0- in their first match on Friday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port-of-Spain in a closed-door contest, the Angus Eve-coached Soca Warriors were eager for a better result with the starting 11 featuring ten changes inclusive of goalkeeper Denzil Smith, Alvin Jones, Ross Russel Jr, Jamal Jack, Kevon Goddard, Michel Poon-Angeron, Nathaniel James, Duane Muckette, John-Paul Rochford and Kaile Auvray with defender Robert Primus, the only player to retain his spot.
However, it was the visitors who made seven changes to their starting line having the better of the exchanges and in the 18th minute, they created the best chance for the opening with the ball deflecting off two players in the T&T 18-yard box before rebounding off the base of the left post with goalkeeper Smith stranded to his spot.
But against the run-of-play it was T&T who should have gone ahead when Nathaniel James picked up a through ball and hammered a left-footed shot into the far corner past goalkeeper Shaquan Davis, only to have his 42nd minute wrong-fully ruled out for offside.
In the second half, both Eve Jamaica coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson of Iceland made several changes just as in the their first meeting on Friday, as the game went on there were a few openings at both ends, with Auvray the liveliest for T&T and Cavalier FC Shaniel Thomas, the main threat for Jamaica.
T&T’s Smith was called into action to parry away a left-footed close-range effort from Thomas low to his right in the 50th minute and ten minutes later Auvray combined well with Russell Jr down the left flank, but his left-footed shot across the goalmouth failed to find a T&T player
In the end, both teams failed to, find a winner and had to settle for a share of the spoils ahead of their upcoming international engagements.
T&T will come up against Canada in their Copa America play-in match at the Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas, USA on March 24, while Jamaica faces USA in their CONCACAF Nations League Group A semifinal on March 21.
