TTFF News - T&T footballers make strong comeback vs Guadeloupe

T&T footballers make strong second half comeback vs Guad.

Issued on March 25, 2007

 

Stade Municipal Gosier, Guadeloupe: A young developing Trinidad and Tobago side showed real determination to come back and draw with an experienced Guadeloupe National tam  side in this very entertaining Digicel International Match in Gosier on Saturday night.

 

T&T started the game very brightly and with so many new young faces brought in to impress coach Wim Rijsbegen they wasted no time in showing him their worth in his side. With Densill Theobald unable to travel due to injury, Gary Glasgow had the honour of taking up the captain’s armband and he quickly set about in an attempt to opening his account for the evening.

 

After only 14 minutes Fausta was called into making two fine stops. The first of which came from Glasgow after a nice combination with Christian Baptiste, and the second when he was confronted by Andre Toussaint on a one-on-one situation but managed to get his hands behind the pacey centre forwards stinging shot.

 

On 16 minutes, and against the run of play, Guadeloupe opened the scoring. When Dwayne Jack gave the ball away under pressure from Xavier Bematol, his team mate Seon Power stepped in to assist, but, his attempted clearance rebounded off the unfortunate Jack and fell perfectly into the path of the on-running Bematol who coolly slotted the ball home from the left edge of the 18 yard box as Marvin Phillip came out to claim the wicked rebound.

 

The "Soca Warriors" gained composure quickly and looked to gain parity as fast as possible. The chance came on 20 minutes when a free kick was awarded to the visitors on the edge of the Guadeloupe box. Baptiste of Defence Force stepped up and hit a thunderous left footed drive just the wrong side of the right hand post for his first goal for T&T

 

After 36 minutes Guadeloupe almost took advantage of another disastrous defensive error when Seon Power’s attempted header back to his keeper under pressure from the experienced Jocelyn Angloma, left the former French International knicking the ball over the advancing Phillip but fortunately for the T&T keeper the effort went just over the bar.

 

Guadeloupe did get their second though on 41 when Steve Bizacene played a delightful ball through the centre of the T&T defensive to the lethal Bematol who did again what he did earlier and ran through to coolly slot the ball past the onrushing Phillip.

 

Baptiste had a golden chance to peg one back for Rijsbergen’s side when he controlled the ball beautifully on the left edge of the box but drilled his shot into the side netting when it seemed more likely he would score.

 

The lanky left sided midfielder made amends when 2 minutes into the restart he pulled one back for T&T  after a well worked free kick.

 

Nigel Daniel played the free kick short to Glasgow who stopped the ball dead for Baptiste to step up and hit a thunderbolt of a free kick at goal which proved too hot for Fausta to handle as his attempted save simply bounced off his hands and fell gently into the corner of the net.

 

T&T  seemed to take the initiative and almost had a superb equalizer moments later when Power’s run and cross from the right was controlled beautifully on the thigh of W Connection’s  Toussaint who met the ball sweetly on the full with a thunderous volley that flew just inches over Fausta’s bar.

 

The visitors showed true grit and started to really take control of the game and on 62 minutes drew level with a moment of individual brilliance from Toussaint. With his back to goal and 20 yards out, Toussaint received the ball from Trent Noel, turned sweetly to his left and thumped an unstoppable shot to the bottom left corner of Fausta’s net to bring parity to this very exciting game.

 

The French West Indies side were determined however to make the home crowd go home happy and when presented with a free kick just 18 yards out they looked to former Marseille, Valencia and French international Angloma to put them back in front. However the French superstar could not find anyway past a determined Phillip in the T&T goal as he went full length to punch the free kick wide to safety.

 

Angloma called Phillip into action only moments later again when he saved one handed from a tight angled shot which seemed as if it may sneak into the roof of the net.

However it was Nigel Daniel who had the last chance of the game when his free kick from 18 yards out was destined to go into the top corner but for a one handed superb save from a flying Fausta.

 

Level pegging it ended and a fair result for two sides that seem to be preparing well for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup with this first Digicel International Match.

 

The T&T is scheduled to return home on Sunday night.

 

Line Ups

 

Guadeloupe: - Matius Fausta, Kevin Delannay (Jean Yves Baltyde 65th), Alain Vertot, Lerry Hanany (Eric Mocka 85th), Xavier Bematol, Luedovic Gotin, Steve Bizacene (Constant Theresine 75th), Mickael Laurent (Cedric Fiston 45th), Jean Luc Lambourde, Jocelyn Angloma, Marving Onesta.

 

Trinidad and Tobago: - Marvin Phillip, Dwayne Jack, Seon Power, Nigel Daniel, Christian Baptiste, Trent Noel, Thomas Nickelson, Kerry Baptiste (Silas Spann 81st), Romauld Aguillera, Andre Toussaint, Gary Glasgow (capt) (Abiola Clarence 64th).