Nothing has changed!
Trinidad and Tobago maintained their dominance over Barbados with a comfortable 2-0 victory in their 2014 World Cup CONCACAF Group B qualifying football match at the National Stadium yesterday.
Goals by Keon Daniel (16th) and Darryl Roberts (67th) sent the Bajan Tridents crashing to their second straight defeat, following last Friday’s 2-0 away loss to Guyana.
The Soca Warriors were on song from the 4:05 p.m. kick-off and totally dominated the first half.
Daniel combined with midfielders Hayden Tinto, Christopher Birchall, Akenaton Edwards to feed strikers Roberts and their powerfully-built captain Kenwyne Jones with some neat passes which kept the Barbados defence busy all evening.
Daniel opened the scoring when he beat the off-side trap to collect a flick-on from Jones and hit past goalkeeper Jason Boxhill. Roberts sealed the outcome when he scrambled the ball over the line after Jones tapped on a cross from Daniel.
Jones, closely marked by Barry Skeete, had a few chances to get on the scoresheet as he muscled his way around the Bajan players but it wasn’t his day, as he failed to cope with the bounce of the Stadium field.
He still showed his class as he went past the Barbados defence, but dribbled the ball out of play and also headed onto the body of Johnathan Straker. Birchall also had a shot deflected for a corner which Roberts headed over the cross bar.
Barbados substituted right-back Omar Archer and brought on Romelle Burgess but surprisingly pushed the England-based Dagenham and Redbridge striker Jonathan Nurse to wing-back.
Watched by Minister of Sport Stephen Lashley and Barbados and West Indies cricketers Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Pedro Collins and Dale Richards among the estimated 3 000 spectators, Barbados’ play generally lacked imagination and creativity.
Reappointed captain Norman Forde was a workhorse in midfield in an improved second-half display but lacked support.
Louis Moss never got in the game and was replaced by Kadeem Atkins, while Renaldo Marques and Burgess had to do plenty of defensive work in a double-marking role.
Barbados’ first effort on goal came after 65 minutes when a Riviere Williams left-booter was easily held by custodian Marvin Phillip.
Then, after Boxhill made a timely save to deny Roberts his second goal when substitute Khaleem Hyland slipped the ball across the goalmouth, Barbados’ best play came in the 75th minute.
It was an accurate one-time left-foot shot by Forde after Ramuel Miller crossed the ball from the left side to his Youth Milan teammate just outside the 18-yard box, but Phillip made a brilliant left-handed save.
The hosts also came close to scoring when a corner from Forde caused some confusion in the Trinidad defence, with Miller putting the ball into the box but no one could get a foot onto it to squeeze it over the line.
Coach Colin “Potato” Forde conceded that qualifying was now virtually a mission impossible.
“We have got to go back to the drawing board. With four games left, it is extremely difficult, but we still have to go out there and represent the country,” he said.
“Our backs are really against the wall. It will take a miracle for us to progress from here.”