A Guatemalan player runs around Guyana’s Shawn ‘Bubbly’ Beveney
Guyana’s ‘Golden Jaguars’ preparation for the third round of the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifiers hit a major stumbling block last evening when they were outplayed by the visiting Guatemala team, who won the International Friendly encounter 2-0 at the National Stadium, Providence.
Playing in front of a small, but vociferous home crowd, the Guyanese squandered several goal scoring opportunities early in the opening half, after some good build-ups were followed by poor finishing. The Guyanese controlled most of the possession in the first half hour of the contest, but a lapse in defence gave the tourists the lead in the 32nd minute when Mynor Ignacio Lopez tapped in from close range after goalie Ronson Williams was lured out of the box. That goal changed the complexion of the game as the Guatemalans controlled possession for the latter part of the half.
Upon resumption, the Jaguars came out with an aggressive approach, but found a stronger Guatemalan defence that refused to relinquish their hold on the game.
Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz made as many as six changes in the second half to expose his players, and more importantly score the equalizer, but it never materialized as the Guyanese were given a run for their money in the second half. Moments before Guillermo Ramirez’s pushed the Central American team 2-0 ahead in the 93rd minute, Jaguars’ star forward Walter Moore was given a red card for chucking Gustavo Cabrera after the Guatemalan pushed him during the run of play.
After the game, Shabazz said that while he is disappointed with the results, he is pleased that he was able to give as many players time in the middle as “it is necessary” to derive to the best possible combination ahead of the Group B Qualifiers against Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The Head Coach added that there are a few areas the coaching unit will be looking to address in the lead up to the next International Friendly, which will be held shortly.
