Digicel Caribbean Cup …
ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Cuba and hosts Antigua & Barbuda started Group-G of the Digicel Caribbean Cup with hard-fought victories on Wednesday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
A first half barrage set the Cubans up for a 4-2 victory over Dominica in the opening match of the group, and the Antiguans followed up with workmanlike 2-1 win over Suriname.
In the feature match, Antigua & Barbuda and Suriname treated a crowd of close to 4 000 to a feast of end-to-end action.
The Antiguans made the breakthrough in the 17th minute, when the ball fell kindly to Randolph Burton, and he smashed into the open net from seven, after Peter Byers’ shot was blocked on the line by defender Foline Abauna.
Suriname were always threatening, and on 33 minutes, they drew level, when Roche Emanuelson latched on to a poorly cleared header on the left, and slammed his left-footed effort first time from the edge of the box into the far corner of the net.
The score remained 1-1 at halftime, but the two sides started the second half brightly, with Byers hitting the woodwork, and so too Suriname Ives Vlijter.
Fortune favoured Antigua & Barbuda on 63 minutes, when Justin Cochrane held his marker off just inside the right side of the box, spun, and hooked his shoot over Suriname goalkeeper Obrendo Huiswoud into the far left corner of the net.
This sent the large home crowd in the famous old stadium into raptures, as Antigua & Barbuda went back into the lead, which they never relinquished again.
Earlier, Cuba and Dominica looked set for an even contest, when both sides had scored inside the first 15 minutes.
But the match descended into a lopsided affair, once the Cubans found their feet, and barrelled their way through the Dominicans.
Cuba took the lead in the ninth minute, when Alain Ofarril put through Armando Isidoro, whose shot from the right-hand side slotted past Dominican net-minder Owen Oscar, and planted itself into the left side of the net.
Dominica equalised three minutes later, when Kurlson Benjamin rose unchallenged to butt-in Carlvin Christopher’s corner.
The Cubans then stamped their authority, with three goals in the space of 15 minutes to take a 4-1 half-time lead, and leave their opponents shell-shocked.
Cuba restored the lead in the 20th minute, when Ofarril swerved an inch-perfect, right-side corner kick to Reysander Cervantes to put away a back-post header from four yards.
The Cubans stretched their lead, when Yoel Valencia scored a fantastic individual goal in the 27th minute. He collected the ball on the left-hand side, cut inside, and from 18 yards whipped his shot inside the post reminiscent of Fernando Torres’ gem for Liverpool against Chelsea at the weekend in the English Premier League.
Cuba forged further ahead eight minutes later, when Marcel Campanioni slotted the ball under the advancing Oscar, after a lovely through ball from Carlos Serrano left centre backs Colin Bernard and Prince Austrie flat-footed.
Dominica chose discretion as the best part of valour, and were defensive-minded throughout the second period.
The tactic appeared to work, although Isidoro and Valencia broke through to hit the woodwork.
With three minutes left on the clock, Benjamin bagged his second for Dominica, when he slotted-in what was a carbon-copy of Cuba’s first goal.
Group-G continues today at the Antigua Recreation Ground, when Cuba tackle Suriname, and Antigua & Barbuda battle Dominica.