Sunday, October 17th 2010 – Andre Kamperveen Stadium, Paramaribo, Suriname:
The Golden Panthers have topped Group C with maximum points and will now head to Trinidad for a stern test in a tough Group F. They should be looking forward to the challenge, although they definitely have a tough group they will not fear any opposition. They are a very good side who will be a match for anybody in the Digicel Cup on their day. Their experience in Suriname will be of tremendous benefit as the players will have got used to playing with each other in a very competitive environment. There was no push over in Group C.
Suriname will also have benefitted from their experience for the same reasons and will have generated a high level of interest in their team and the Digicel Cup from the exposure they received. They have a little more time to regroup as they go to Group G in Antigua from November 11th to the 14th.
This match was a tense affair with not very much between the teams, as Suriname coach Ricardo Winter predicted on Friday, the team that scored first wound up eventual winners. Walter Moore scored the all important first goal from the penalty spot in the 17th minute but it wasn’t until the 90th minute when substitute Devon Millington sealed the victory.
The performance of the Guyanese was commanding as they not only won the game and the group but they silenced the large and very noisy crowd on hand. Both teams started the game with an air of confidence, Suriname, backed by the fact that they have had the better of the Guyanese in the past, but Guyana confident that they had what it takes to turn things around.
Guyana included former team Captain Charles Pollard in defense and John Rodrigues pushed into midfield, they pushed forward in the opening minutes and came close to scoring in the 6th minute, Dwight Peters missing the chance. On the counter, Suriname’s Stefano Rijssel also came close with his powerful shot going just wide of the left upright. The game was really heating up with neither team willing allow the other to dictate the tempo. The exchanges were fast and punchy with the majority of the crowd cheering on their home boys, a few dozen did make the trip from Guyana so they were making their best effort to be heard.
Rijeesl, playing upfront for Suriname was a real threat to the Guyana defense and he fired at goal again in the 9th minute having caught the Guyana defense flat footed. The Golden Jaguars however, began to get their passing game going as they held possession for longer periods. Success was not long in coming and in the 17th minute, the hard working Dwain Jacobs took on the defense making his way into the box but was brought down; Referee Lee Davis of Trinidad and Tobago had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Up came Walter Moore to take the shot which he buried in the left corner with goalkeeper Obrendo Huiswoud going to his right. Huiswoud started again in goal with the number one choice Roany Aloema out injured.
The crowd went silent thereafter but the action on field maintained at a high pace. Suriname created many chances but could not find the all important finish. Suriname’s Emelio Limon, their play maker created many of the chances as his nimble footwork and outstanding vision. Jacobs, Moore, Peters, Rodrigues all enjoyed good moments for Guyana as well in the high octane first half. Williams was in fine form and made two excellent saves from back to back shots by Rijeesl, the first rebounding back to the Suriname forward who fired again but Williams was equal to the task as he parried it away for a corner.
The second half saw the Jaguars maintaining their control on the game. The subsequent substitutions of Limon and Rijeesl saw a dip in the zest Suriname had displayed earlier. Germaine Van Dijck replaced Limon much to the disgust of the fans and Limon himself did not seem pleased. Wensley Christoph made way for Galgyto Talea on 64 minutes while Reguillio came on in the 76th minute for Rijeesl.
Philbert Moffatt replaced Dwight Peters in the 67th for Guyana and Shawn Beveney came into the mix in the 76th for Dwayne Ali as the Guyanese strengthened in the midfield. Millington was introduced into the game in the 84th minute for Abrams and made an immediate impact with his speed. Suriname, meanwhile, seem to lose their way slightly despite the best efforts of the home crowd to bring their team back to life but to no avail. On the stroke of full time, Millington pounced on a poor clearance by Suriname’s Captain and central defender Derrick Garden whose attempt resulted in the ball falling just in front of him from an initial Millington shot. The Guyanese forward who also scored against the Surinamese last November quickly made contact with ball again and placed his shot just inside the near post, the diving Huiswoud had no chance of saving the shot.
Millington’s goal capped a fine performance by the Jaguars. Guyana’s Head Coach Wayne Dover at the post match press conference said that the team went into the match positive that they were going to win, “we were very optimistic that we could achieve victory and we are happy with the outcome. It was an important win which has gives us confidence going into the next stage of the competition.” Dover also noted that winning the group was also good for Guyana, “we defeated them with good team organization, along with the speed and pace of our players. We will take a break for a couple of days before returning to camp in preparation for the next stage.”
Suriname’s Coach Ricardo Winter also commented: “I think we started well in the first half but that penalty we conceded threw us off a bit and it was always going to be difficult to rebound against a team that was very organized, the Guyanese kept good control. When we made those substitutions of our midfield players in the second half, you saw a drop in the way we played which shows that we have to get players coming off the bench that can match the quality of those coming off.”
The Digicel Cup was a great success in Suriname with excellent attendances especially on Sunday. The live television coverage from TV broadcaster SCCN greatly enhanced the event, they were able to provide screens featuring the TV coverage inside the venue and live TV coverage in the media and VIP room. We wish both these teams the best of luck in stage 2.
For more information, access to match images and live score updates, visit www.digicelfootball.com.
Suriname: 22. Obrendo Huiswoud 3. Derrick Garden (Capt.) 4. Merlon Felter 5. Foline Abauna 7. Emelio Limon (57 Mins. 17. Germaine Van Dijck) 8. Ives Vlijter 9. Stefano Rijssel (78 Mins. 16. Regillo Pinas) 10. Stefan Baneti 11. Wensley Christoph (64 Mins. 14. Galgyto Talea) 12. Kenneth Moenno 15. Naldo Kwasie Coach. Ricardo Winter
Guyana: 1. Ronson Williams 3. Howard Lowe (Capt) 4. Christopher Bourne 5. Walter Moore 6. Jake Newton 7. Dwain Jacobs 8. Dwayne Ali (76 Mins. 15. Shawn Beveney) 9. Dwight Peters (67 Mins. 16. Philbert Moffat) 10. Anthony Abrams (84 Mins. 18. Devon Millington) 11. John Rodrigues 12. Kenneth Moenno 15. Shawn Beveney Coach: Wayne Dover
Referee: Ignatius Lee Davis – I & T
Assistant Referee 1 – Dion Neil– T & T
Assistant Referee 2 –– Ainsley Rochard T & T
Commissioner – Patrick Beckles – JAM
