BROOKLYN, New York CMC – Guyana upset last season’s runners-up St Lucia while St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) crushed Colombia, as both scored significant victories on Sunday in the New York Digicel Caribbean Football Cup here.
After a lacklustre first half, Guyana got all their goals in the second stanza to cruise to a 3-0 win at the Jefferson High School Stadium and were joined by former Cup champions SVG who swamped Colombia 7-0, in the second round of matches in the 2011 campaign.
Guyana were propelled by a hat-trick of goals from the versatile Kevin Beaton, who opened his scoring in the 78th minute, capitalising on a mix-up in the penalty box.
Ten minutes later, he eluded the St Lucian goalkeeper Enus St Clair with a blast 10 yards outside the penalty box and got his third a minute before the final whistle when he dribbled through the St Lucian defence to finish clinically.
“We’re on the way trying to win our division and to go into the finals,” Guyanese head coach Sam Bunbury told CMC Sports.
His St Lucian counterpart Vernantius Poyotte blamed his team’s defeat on “missed opportunities”.
“We had good opportunities that we threw away,” he said. “We just have to learn from our mistakes and try to improve.”
In the earlier match, Colombia were no match for St Vincent and the Grenadines, five-time champions in the tournament’s 20-year history.
The Vincentians blew them away with two goals each from Michael Collis and Jessie John, and one each from Darren Williams, Grayson Alexander and Rhenson Haynes.
Collis signalled SVG’s intentions in the ninth minute when he hammered a left-footer past Colombian goalkeeper Jonathan Martinez and 11 minutes later, capitalised on an Alexander’s cross to again elude Martinez.
With the Vincentians leading 2-0 by the half-time interval, Williams stretched his side advantage in the 49th minute when he chipped the ball over Martinez’ head.
Two minutes later, Alexander collected Orande ‘Kemmie’ Christopher’s pass for SVG’s fourth goal before Haynes nudged passed Martinez from a Garfield Cupid right flank cross in the 79th minute.
John then sank the Colombians with a double strike in the space of three minutes in the 81st minute.
Even with such a trouncing, SVG head coach Stanley ‘Luxie’ Morris said the margin of victory should have been greater adding “I think we could have played better. We should have scored at least a dozen goals,” said Morris.
A dejected Colombian head coach, Pablo Bermudez, said he felt “disgusted”. “These young (players) simply could not match the Vincentians,” he said.
In this Sunday’s triple-header, Grenada will battle Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia will oppose St Kitts and Nevis, and Haiti will duel with six-time champions Jamaica.