Reggae Boyz beat upstarts Barbados, Grenada stun Soca Warriors

Dec 05, 2008 Sports

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The Reggae Boyz rebounded against upstarts Barbados to secure maximum points and their first competitive victory under new head coach John Barnes against Barbados 2-1 when the Digicel Caribbean Championships (DCC) finals kicked off in Jamaica on Wednesday at the National Stadium.
Rarely accused of being shy, the Barbadian’s made it known ahead of this fixture that they were intent on claiming their first ever regional title, and boasting an unbeaten record in their last five outings, their confidence was understandable.
Having also seen favorites Trinidad & Tobago toppled by an un-fancied Grenada by a similar score line in the opening fixture of the night, expectations were high.
But, so too was the pace at which Jamaica set about disrupting those plans, as the attacking formation deployed by the new gaffer got to work immediately, while the backline remained as composed as ever under the leadership of Marshall.
Within the opening five minutes, Jamaica threatened to open up the Barbadians on two occasions with errant shots offered both times. It would be a theme that would repeat itself throughout the half.
Barbados in contrast looked solid and well organized at the back, and competitive in the midfield as well, but on the rare occasions that they did get forward they would test Ricketts with their accuracy.
As the half drifted into added time, Barbados earned themselves a corner, and although Jamaica had defended from corners well during the entire half an eerie sense of inevitability crept into the crowd, and whispers of goal soon turned to roars as Riviere Williams snuck in a glancing header at the near post to give Barbados the lead at the break.
The second half saw the thin blue line of Barbados’ back four do an outstanding job of preventing Jamaica access to the box with man mountain Barry Skeete a dominant force. What Jamaica needed was some width, and Coach Barnes duly obliged with the insertion of Dane Richards just past the hour mark.
Richards settled immediately and to great effect, a non-descript short free kick on the left of the area was turned into something special, as he turned and scooped the ball over the frozen defence for man-of-the-match Rudolph Austin to volley home from over the shoulder.
Barbados looked crest-fallen, having conceded the lead and conceded a corner shortly after, but despite Jamaica’s prolonged pressure, Bryan Nebletts inexplicable handball inside his own area simply gifted Luton Shelton a spot kick, and with a cool swagger he did the honours to help earn John Barnes and Jamaica shared poll position in Group A of the DCC.
In the opening game of the finals, Grenada’s Spice Boys peppered past tournament favourites, Trinidad & Tobago’s Soca Warriors 2-1 with a thrilling last minute finish, to put the under strength Twin Island Republic team under early pressure.
Having secured access to the next round of World Cup qualification, a depleted T&T seemed to have suffered somewhat of a qualification hangover, as they were out hustled by a Grenada team that looked the hungrier of the two sides.
Speckled attendance at the National Stadium greeted the kickoff of the DCC Finals, but those there to witness the match were not impressed by the midfield gridlock that signaled the opening quarter of an hour.
But their attentions would soon be piqued by a penalty decision in minute 17 when Aurtis Whitley was caught using his hands inside the box.
The penalty would be taken by Coach and Captain Anthony Modeste, but his modest effort aimed at the midsection of the diving Marvin Phillip signaled the decline of the Portmore skipper’s influence on the remainder of the game.
The shock of conceding an early penalty seemed to inspire Trinidad, with Khaleem Hyland fizzing a volley inches over the bar. Anthony Wolfe was on the prowl in the midfield and he went close with Trinidad’s first effort on target, and followed that effort with a superb diving header that thudded against the base of the right upright.
But Trinidad couldn’t make the pressure pay, and were made to pay in a major way when Ricky Charles beguiled his way into the box from the left corner flag and slotted a cross into the grateful Kithson Bain, who made no mistake from point blank range to end Grenada’s half on a high.
The second half began with the whiff of upset as the 139th ranked Grenada continued to pile the pressure on the World Cup aspirants. Shane Rennie’s rainbow pass to first half hero Bain warranted more composure for the Tevez-esque striker who managed to evade the advancing Phillip in goal but overcooked his lob.
Trinidad would eventually show their class in minute 67 with one of the finest up-tempo team goals the stadium has seen in years. It began with Keon Daniel’s cheeky flick into the advancing Aklie Edwards on the left, Edwards relayed to Cornell Glen who then cut inside three defenders onto his right foot before curling a shot inside the north pole past Desmond Noel in goal.
With the score tied at one apiece, it was Trinidad that looked likeliest to score in the remaining moments, but in the final minute of regulation time “Tricky” Ricky Charles, Grenada’s midfield dynamo throughout their qualification, scored one of the most important goals of his career when his mistimed volley in a crowded six yard box, bounced comically off of the turf, over the head of Phillip in goal off the upright and finally in.
With teams needing to reach the semi-finals to qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup next year, the results leave Trinidad with the possibility of missing the 12-team confederation championship for only the third time and first since 2003.
The Soca Warriors will face Barbados today while home team Jamaica plays Grenada. Jamaica and Trinidad will face off in the Group A finale on Sunday.

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