SOURCE: CARIBBEAN FOOTBALL UNION
St. Vincent and The Grenadines edge out Antigua and Barbuda
ARIMA, Trinidad (August 17, 2024)—A second-half goal was enough for St. Vincent and The Grenadines to defeat Antigua and Barbuda in their Tier II Group A match in the 2024 CFU Boys’ U-14 Challenge Series on Sunday at the Larry Gomes Stadium. The win was the second consecutive for the Vincentians, while Antigua and Barbuda now have a win and a loss.
The contest started evenly, with the teams sizing up each other. St Vincent and the Grenadines had most of the possession for the first 15 minutes of the contest. Jomain Ollivierre got the first opportunity of the match. He received a through-pass from J-Shan Samuel and outpaced Shamar Walters before releasing his effort on goal, but it was a comfortable save for Antiguan goalkeeper Mekhi Phillip.
As play continued, the young Benna Boys took control. They started passing the ball swiftly around the park, and the attackers began displaying the tricks and flicks to awe the crowd. Ajay Barthley won possession just outside the penalty area. He then dribbled away from three Vincentian players before unleashing a fierce left-footed drive, which required an impressive save from Kevon Phillips in goal.
Phillips was called to action once more in the 27’ when he had to deal with a header by Roshan Samuel after he received a pinpoint cross from Walters.
The teams entered the half-time interval goalless.
The second half started with Antigua and Barbuda looking like the better team. They dominated possession and forced the St. Vincent and the Grenadines defense into action time and time again. Antigua and Barbuda missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 37’ when Jahdante Griffith’s free-kick found Walters unmarked at the back post. However, the Antiguan captain’s diving header narrowly missed the target.
Antigua’s dominance continued, and they looked like the team that would score the first goal of the contest. However, it was St. Vincent and the Grenadines who opened the scoring in the 46’ through their captain Beau Hoyte. He was assisted by Ollivierre, who held up play before making an amazing pass to Hoyte, who demonstrated class with his first touch to go past an Antiguan defender and put him through on goal where he made no mistake to put his team ahead.
Antigua and Barbuda had the chance to equalize in the 54’ when Luke Harney-Rogerson’s free-kick missed the target by a whisker. St Vincent and the Grenadines held on to the victory after some stellar defensive play.
The win takes St Vincent and The Grenadines to six points after three matches, while Antigua and Barbuda will remain on three points after two matches. Both teams are in action on Monday when St. Vincent and the Grenadines take on Guyana and Antigua and Barbuda play the Cayman Islands.
