T&T edged 3-2 by Jamaica

T&T edged 3-2 by Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago were defeated in a dramatic 3-2 Unity Cup affair to Jamaica, the deciding goal coming courtesy an injury-time penalty, at a packed Gtech Stadium in Brentford, West London, England.

It was truly a roller-coaster affair– a see-saw battle which could have gone either way.Down two goals, scored by England-born Hull City midfielder Kasey Palmer (25’) and England-born Rumarn Burrell (53’), the T&T Warriors battled back to 2–2 with second-half goals from debutant striker Isaiah “Bongo” Leacock (55’) and Kevin “Nash” Molino (69’), both joint-top goal-scorers this season for Defence Force–the local TTPFL Tier One champions.

Then came the decisive moment when T&T gave away a penalty, and Cavalier SC defender Richard King (90+5’) scored from the spot in the final minute of added time to seal a dramatic late win for the Reggae Boyz.

Coming on as a second-half substitute, Soca Warriors defender Justin “Shiggy” Garcia shirked responsibility and put his goalkeeper in trouble by failing to deal with the threat posed by Jamaica’s Renaldo Cephas, the speedy winger who won two penalties for the Reggae Boyz on the night.

Though ahead of Cephas, Garcia appeared uncertain of his ability to contain the pacey winger, and, vehemently motioning for T&T custodian Marvin Phillip to intervene, the keeper ended up clipping the Jamaican, conceding the untimely winning penalty.

At the end, there were smiles from both T&T head coach Dwight Yorke and Reggae Boyz manager Steve McClaren, the former England coach. But in between, there were plenty of tense moments and anxious spells for both sets of fans.

Jamaica held a slender 1–0 lead at the end of the first half, with Palmer scoring his first international goal from the penalty mark after central defender Jamal Jack stuck out his left leg and brought down Cephas as the left-winger raced into the box.

A giveaway by Daniel Phillip allowed Cephas to exploit space left by the absent Alvin Jones, before being clipped inside the area by the covering Jack. Had veteran goalkeeper Phillip held his ground, he might have saved it—Palmer chipped the ball straight down the middle.

Jamaica had the better of the early exchanges, with wingers Cephas and Kaheim Dixon providing strong penetration out wide. Cephas, in particular, was a constant danger, at times benefitting from Jones’ ill-disciplined defending.

Cephas had a free header down the middle and a chance to double Jamaica’s lead in the first half when meeting a Dixon cross, but goalkeeper Phillip was equal to it, going airborne to clutch the ball out of the air.

At times ragged at the back, T&T grew into the game and could have levelled before the break– captain Kevin Molino met a cross from increasingly prominent Crystal Palace youngster Rio Cardines but turned his left-footed effort wide.

Dantaye Gilbert, the former Netherlands-based midfielder, also had a look at goal after a chipped cross from Andre Raymond, but a heavy touch allowed defender Mason Holgate to recover and clear the danger.

There was an explosive start to the second half as Burrell scored a stunning bicycle kick. A defensive lapse between Jones and Cardines allowed a shot at the T&T goal, which Phillip initally parried—but straight into the path of Burrell, who went for the spectacular finish.

T&T clawed their way back to 2–1 as Leacock marked his first international start with a goal. Having seen little action until then, he showed his predatory instincts when a low pass from Molino found him, slotting past Jamaican goalkeeper Shaquan Davis.

Spectacularly, T&T restored parity with captain Kevin Molino scoring a header, the result of an excellent free-kick from left wide midfielder Cardines. The set-piece struck both the left upright and goalkeeper Davis before falling perfectly for Molino, who headed home. It was anyone’s game to win after that.

Jamaica came close when Jones intervened to deny another England-born player, Ravel Morrison, the former Derby County striker, from finishing from close range following a strong save by Phillip with 15 minutes left.

Substitute John-Paul Rochford nearly gave the Soca Warriors their first lead, breaking through on the left, only to be denied by Davis’ sharp low save at the near post with five minutes to go.

Phillip also rose to the occasion again with two minutes of regular time remaining, tipping over a shot from Gregory Leigh, the England-born Oxford United player.

In the end, it was heartbreak for T&T, who showed immense character to come from behind and were unfortunate to concede so late in a thrilling encounter involving the two Caribbean nations in London