“We played some good football” – King
WALTER ALIBEY
Senior Multimedia Reporter
walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
“It’s a great feeling to maintain our position in the A League of the Concacaf Nations League. What we saw today, especially in the first half, was a hungry team and a team that wanted these three points. And we went out there and played some good football. In the first half alone, we could have been about five goals up, but that’s football; goals win matches.”
These were the words of national coach Derek King following a performance that not only earned the Soca Warriors their first win of the Concacaf Nations League tournament but also kept them well in the A-League after a convincing 3-1 victory over Cuba at the Dwight Yoke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago, on Monday night.
With a loss to Honduras 4-1 and two drawn matches against French Guiana 0-0 and Cuba 2-2, King’s men needed to win to stay in the top-flight A-League.
Goals from Dantaye Gilbert (12th), Joevin Jones (27th), and Real Gill (64th) were enough to secure a valuable three points, despite a consolation item from Yasnier Matos in the 62nd minute. King, who was appointed the country’s caretaker coach after the sacking of Angus Eve back in July, has since submitted his application for the head coach position, a decision the TTFA is exepted to make soon.
Word from the T&T Football Association shows that over 400 coaches from T&T, North, Central, and South America, and Europe have applied for the job. Should King be given the nod for the top job, he will have a FIFA window in November for which international friendly matches can be played.
King’s 3-1 win over Cuba on Monday was the result of weeks of practice, which started with a local training camp. “What we have seen since I took over is that the team is playing football; we have been creating chances, but we haven’t been putting them away, and goals win matches. And as I always tell the players, once you keep teams in the game, they will always feel they have a chance, so what we saw today was progress with the team,” King explained.
“When we analysed the game away from home, we saw defenders bringing the ball into our midfield, so we tweaked our system a bit by adding Joevin Jones and Dantaye Gilbert, and I think we were set up perfectly in the first half, restricting them from moving the ball the way they wanted. So we set the trap to push them aside and high-pressed. When we did that, we intercepted the balls and got goal-scoring opportunities.” The win coming after a disastrous 2-2 tie against the same opposition that basically ended their hopes of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the tournament prompted coach King to call on his charges to be solid in the defensive third while demanding that his players convert the opportunities that came their way. This call was met with a response of approval.
And after a slow but cautious start, midfielder Dantaye Gilbert pushed them ahead, racing on to a through ball in the 12th minute and skilfully lifting the ball over the advancing Raiko Arozarena in the Cuban goal for the 1-0 advantage.
Later in the 27th minute, Joevin Jones handed his team a two-goal cushion. Gilbert, the architect this time, served to Jones all alone on the right side of the Cuban goal area, and the latter hit it hard and low past the Cuban custodian for a 2-0 lead.
Both Jones and Nathaniel James could have added to the T&T scoreline before the break, but both missed the target from inside the Cuban penalty area.
With two points from three matches, the Soca Warriors were staring relegation to League B in the face.
Meanwhile, Cuba, who had just one point ahead of the host, did not give up the fight and were rewarded for their efforts in the 62nd minute when Dairon Reyes collected a rightside centre inside the T&T box and released it quickly to the uncoming Yasnier Matos to hit hard past Adrian Foncette for a 2-1 scoreline.
However, their celebrations were cut short almost immediately.
Substitute Real Gill was sent galloping on to a through ball in the 64th minute before he drove past the onrushing Arozarena before hitting the ball into an empty net for a 3-1 scoreline.
T&T TEAM
21 Adrian Foncette, 2 Aubrey David, 5 Ross Russell Jr, 15 Dantaye Gilbert, 6 Andre Rampersad, 3 Joevin Jones, 19 Noah Powder, 9 Nathaniel James, 14 Shannon Gomez, 17 Justin Garcia, 16 Alvin Jones.
Subs
1 Christopher Biggette, 22 Denzil Smith, 4 Sheldon Bateau, 8 Isaiah Lee, 7 Ryan Telfer, 10 Kevin Molino, 13 Michel Poon Angeron, 11 Real Gill, 20 John-Paul Rochford, 12 Adriel George, 23 Kevon Woodley, 18 Tristan Hodge.
CUBA TEAM
12 Raiko Arozarena, 4 Carlos Vazquez, 5 Dariel Morejon, 9 maykel Reyes, 10 Dairon Reyes, 13 Karel Perez, 14 Karel Espino, 15 Yunior Perez, 18 Yasnier Matos, 19 Alejandro Delgado, 22 Orlando.
1 Ismel Morgado, 21 Yurdy Hodelin, 2 Elvis Casanova, 3 Mario Penalver, 6 Diego Catasus, 7 Daniel Diaz, 8 Leando Mena, 11 Onel Hernandez, 16 Rey Angel, 17 Aniel Casanova, 20 Michael Camejo, 23 David Perez.
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