FOR the past three years Alpha ‘The Hammer’ United have boasted of being the best football club in Guyana and last Friday night solidified such proclamation when they booked the final CFU berth for the CONCACAF Champions League following their 4-3 penalty victory over Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force at the Guyana National Stadium. Puerto Rico Islanders booked their fourth trip to the Champions League after successfully defeating Haiti’s Tempete FC 3-1 to retain their Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Championship.
Alpha, who became the first club from Guyana to qualify to the CONCACAF equivalent of the UEFA Champions League, will now play Costa Rica’s Herediano in the preliminary round of the tournament while Puerto Rico Islanders will clash with Isidro Metapan of El Salvador and Tempete will face Mexico’s Clausura.
Alpha went into the game, which was witnessed by Head of State His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo, knowing that they had what it took to beat the T&T Defence Force side, after putting up a stiff challenge against the defending champions in their first match last Wednesday at the same venue, where they lost 3-1.
They played with much more purpose than against the Islanders and while their persistence on goal didn’t pay off in the first half, Dwight Peters sent his coach Wayne ‘Wiggy’ Dover and the vociferous crowd in the stands in jubilation with his 52nd minute strike.
However, Richard Roy made sure that those celebrations were shortlived when he equalised eight minutes later.
Richard Reynolds was superb in goal as well as the Alpha defence who were able to thwart any significant run the Trinidadians made, ensuring the two sides battled to a one-all draw at the end of regulation time, forcing the game into extra time.
The scoreline remained the same at the end of extra time, which meant penalty kicks were inevitable, to arrive at a winner – an all-too-familiar situation for the T&T side, who were beaten on penalties by the Haitians in their opening game.
Alpha captain Howard Lowe and forward Warren Gilkes were responsible for the eventual winners’ two misses while Reynolds denied one shot and another sailed over the crossbar for the Trinidadians and the game went to sudden death.
Reynolds continued his superb showing between the uprights for the national club champions when he chose to dive to his right, which was the ‘right’ move to make, as he predicted the ‘Trini’ shot right and the Stadium erupted into a carnival-like atmosphere.
A teary-eyed Dover while showering his players with praise, also dedicated the win to owner and club president Odinga Lumumba, who he said had shown his untiring commitment to make sure the club keeps climbing the ladder of success.
The President congratulated Alpha on their historic milestone but mentioned that qualifying is one thing while winning the tournament (CONCACAF Champions League) is another.
Meanwhile in the Championship game, Jonathan Fana netted a double while Jay Needham scored the other for the defending champions, with Junior Charles being the man responsible for Tempete’s lone strike.