Guyana Jaguars roar into Gold Cup
─ defeats Belize 2-1
─ “it has been a long time coming”- captain says
─ preparations for Gold Cup begins immediately
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, March 24, 2019
The Leonora Track and Field Centre last evening erupted as the Guyana Golden Jaguars defeated rivals Belize two goals to one and roared their way into their first Concacaf Gold Cup, creating history. Goal scorers Neil Danns and Emery Welshman along with entire the Golden Jaguars team did not disappoint the more than 4000 fans that came out to lend support to the home team.
The match between the two sides started out a bit uncertain for the Jaguars, with them almost conceding an early goal. Nevertheless, it was Midfielder Danns who opened the scoring for Guyana, sinking a penalty in the 16th minute of the game. However, this lead was short-lived with Elroy Kuylen of Belize scoring in the 25 minutes, to level the match one goal apiece.
The Golden Jaguars team that defeated Belize
In the 43rd minute of game time Welchman, a striker for Guyana buried the second goal in the back of the opponents’ net, sealing the win for Guyana.
Team Captain Samuel Cox could not control his emotions, shedding tears of joy at the blow of the final whistle. During the post-match press conference, Cox first thanked God for helping the team achieve a feat that has eluded Guyana for a long time.
“It has been a long time coming for this nation and words cannot express how we are feeling right now. Some of you saw me in the last game and the campaign before where we fell short against Jamaica and we fell short against St. Vincent at the world cup campaign but all of that is what made up for this feeling that we are experiencing right now. It is something special that has happened in this country and this is just beginning. On to the next step, we are going to the Gold Cup baby” an overjoyed Cox said.
Cox also thanked everyone working behind the scenes and off the pitch that helped propelled Guyana to something that has never been done before. “we are the greatest team to achieve something like this in this country. We need to appreciate that and give thanks to everyone” he said.
Michael Johnson, coach of the Golden Jaguars and architect behind Guyana achieving this historic feat gave all praises to God for choosing him to lead Guyana to their first major tournament. The Coach also commended the team saying that they are a “tremendous group of players.”
Johnson who was still enjoying the moment said that preparations for the Gold Cup beings immediately. “This moment is going to be inspirational for everyone, the whole programme is going to be pulled up because of this moment, but personally, I am literally still coming down after tonight” he stated.
President of the Guyana Football Federation congratulated the team for putting on a show for Guyana and booking a spot in the prestigious Gold Cup tournament.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is a biennial international men’s football championship played by North America, Central American, and the Caribbean regions. The tournament begins on June 15, 2019, and runs until July 7, 2019, in host countries Costa Rica, United States and the Caribbean among 16 countries.
Isaiah Braithwaite
Images: Kawise Wishart