– Guyana swept 0-2 in the series
The Golden Jaguars dismal record against the Trinidad and Tobago ‘Soca Warriors’ continued last evening as they lost 0-2 in the final fixture of their two-match international football series at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
It was the 17th defeat for the Guyanese in 26 meetings, which was engineered by second-half goals.
Guyana made several changes to the starting XI, which lost the first encounter 1-2 on Monday at the same venue, and opted for Jamaine Cumberbatch, Daniel Wilson, Leo Lovell, Kevin Layne, Terique Mohammed, Darron Niles, Anthony Smith, Curtez Kellman, Nicholai Andrews, and Quincy Adams.
The host nation almost broke the deadlock in the 19th minute, as Brent Sam guided his effort wide of the lower left corner after receiving a flat right-sided cross inside the centre of the penalty area.
Duane Muckett then forced a brilliant save from the Guyanese goalkeeper four minutes later, as his curling first-time effort from the top of the box was parried to safety by Cumberbatch diving to his right.
On the other end, Benjamin should have given Guyana the lead in the 25th minute, as he latched onto a poor back pass by the defender inside the right of the penalty area, only to lash his effort wide of the target.
Guyana’s best chance of the half fell to Darron Niles in the 27th minute, as he was denied by the onrushing goalkeeper with an out-stretched leg from inside the right of the penalty area during a one-on-one situation.
Trinidad and Tobago would eventually take the lead in the 53rd minute, as Michel Poon-Angeron scored. The aforesaid conversion emanated from a poor clearance by the backline following an initial strike by the hosts, as the attempted clearance fell into the path of Poon-Angeron, who curled the ball from inside the centre of the area into the left corner.
Substitute Kevon Woodley, who scored against Guyana in the first match, would eventually double the lead for the hosts in the 76th minute. The conversion emanated from another defensive error, as the ball was stolen from the defender by the forward, who raced into the area and passed the ball into the path of Woodley to slot into the left corner.
Guyana’s best chance of the second stanza occurred in the 88th minute, as Simeon Moore skipped past his marker while cutting in from the right side, only to be denied by the advancing goalkeeper during a one-on-one situation.
The series was being used to select the remaining roster spots for locally based players for the imminent qualifiers. The aforesaid fixtures also form part of the preparation for the team’s League A debut in the CONCACAF Nations League in September. The second match of the series will occur on Wednesday at the same venue.
The Golden Jaguars will commence their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on June 6th, away to Panama. According to the match schedule published by the local confederation, Guyana will oppose Panama at the Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City, at 20:30 hrs.
The Golden Jaguars will then oppose Belize in their home fixture on June 11th. This match will be staged at the Wildey Astro Turf in Bridgetown, Barbados, at 18:00 hrs. CONCACAF is yet to confirm the dates and venues for the remaining matches.
The Golden Jaguars have been drawn in Group D in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which is scheduled to commence in June. The Guyanese have also been paired with Nicaragua and Montserrat.
In their previous 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, the Guyanese ended with a record of one win and three losses to finish in fourth place on three points. Guyana defeated the Bahamas 4-0 but suffered defeats against Trinidad and Tobago [0-3], St. Kitts and Nevis [0-3], and Puerto Rico [0-2].
Guyana is also slated to make its debut in League A of the CONCACAF Nations League. The Golden Jaguars were drawn into Group A alongside Costa Rica, Guatemala, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Suriname.