Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 men’s team booked its spot in the Concacaf Final Round of qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Under 20 World Cup when they defeated Suriname 2-1 at the Marvin Lee Stadium to end up 4-2 winners on aggregate in their final Caribbean Football Union tie.
Goals in the second half by Johan Peltier in the 58th minute and skipper Sheldon Bateau in the 60th was sufficient to send the junior “Soca Warriors” through.
Both teams failed to excite the 400 odd fans at the venue as T&T focused on keeping the visitors at bay in the first half. T&T’s first real try at goal came in the 15th minute when Joe Public midfielder Marcus Joseph dragged his left footer wide of the right post after T&T surged forward for the first time. Four minutes later, Shahdon Winchester, getting the start ahead of Jerrel Britto, failed to connect with a right side ball from Bateau.
Suriname had a decent try at goal in the 24th minute when Dania Afianko’s left footed crack went wide of the upright. Moments before half time Peltier should have put T&T ahead when he tried to lob the advancing goalkeeper but only to see his effort go high over bar.
Zoran Vranes introduced Britto in place of Winchester at the resumption and it wasn’t long after that T&T took the lead. Peltier picked his spot and directed his shot past a hapless Firilio Lamsberg to the delight of the onlooking fans.
And Suriname took a second blow when Bateau met a ball unmarked on the right of the box and drilled his effort low into the net for a 2-0 T&T lead. Soon after Peltier also controlled and turned well before firing his shot wide of the far post.
On 70 minutes, Britto brought the best out of Lamsberg when he reacted quickly to push the striker’s blast over bar. At that stage, Suriname opened up at the back and T&T were getting into the danger area a lot more often than prior to their first goal. Suriname did manage to get through the T&T defence in the 86th minute but Dimitrie Apai’s close range shot was well pushed away by ‘keeper John Thomas.
Moments later Kevin Monsanto struck wide of the near post with Thomas in no man’s land. Suriname continued to press and duly got their goal in added on time when Apai stabbed home from close range. There was another anxious moment for T&T at the back as Suriname went in desperate search of the equalizer
Vranes with folded arms at the final whistle.later said he was satisfied with the team’s progress to the final round. “Most important for me was going forward to the next round and we achieved that,” said Vranes.
“Okay I did not want to lose this game and it was good that we came here and got a second victory. It would have been better to have scored more goals because we created a lot of chances in the second half. They scored very late but I am somewhat pleased with the way the team went about in getting the result and now we are finished with this stage and into the final round. That tournament in Guatemala will be a lot tougher for us but it’s not beyond us.
"We will continue to work hard as a team and hopefully we will have good preparation before the tournament. The preparations will important because the other teams will be looking forward to it just as much as we are and it’s the final step before the World Cup. Everyone wants to win at that stage of the journey,” Vranes said.
T&T joins El Salvador, United States,Canada, Panama, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Cuba, Honduras, hosts Guatemala and one undetermined Caribbean team in the Finals in April, 2011. The top four teams will advance to the 2011 FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Colombia.
The team will face the current T&T Under 23 team in a training match at the Marvin Lee Stadium from 5pm on Wednesday.
Game Recap
Final: - Suriname 1 (Dimitrie Apai 90) v Trinidad and Tobago 2 (Johan Peltier 57, Sheldon Bateau 59)
Suriname: - Firgilio Lamsberg, Gillermo Faerber (Yellow 90), Albert Nibte, Rocky Kaise (Yellow 53), Kevin Viera (Giovanni Asabiegie 62nd), Olvido Misidjan, Victorinio Pinas, Julnes Plet (Kevin Monsanto 56th), Kevin Martin, Jerny Faerber, Daniel Avianko (Dimitrie Apai 78th).
Trinidad & Tobago: - John Thomas, Sheldon Bateau (capt), Akeem Adams, Joevin Jones, Akil Clarke, Dinell Lopez, Dwight Ceballo, Marcus Joseph (Ross Russell Jr. 74th), Johan Peltier, Kenaz Williams (Yellow 31) (Jerron Quashie 63rd), Shahdon Winchester (Jerrel Britto 46th).
Venue: - Marvin Lee Stadium, Tunapuna .
Referee: - Trevor Taylor (Barbados).
Young Warriors edge Suriname 2-1.
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express).
Trinidad and Tobago comfortably reached the CONCACAF Final Round of qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Under-20 World Cup by scoring a 2-1 victory over Suriname yesterday evening at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya.
After winning the first leg by a similar margin in Suriname on December 10, the Young Soca Warriors advanced 4-2 on aggregate to the 12-team final qualifying stage from April 3-13, 2011 in Guatemala.
Suriname needed to win yesterday, but were careful in their approach, playing with numbers in defence and perhaps hoping to hit on the break. As a result, the first half predictably ended goalless, despite the young Warriors having plenty possession.
The game was finally opened up early in the second half when T&T scored twice within two minutes. Striker Johan Peltier had the first in the 57th minute, cutting inside onto his right foot and curling the ball inside the far corner.
What a good goal!
And two minutes later, Trinidad and Tobago captain Sheldon Bateau made it 2-0, the defender overlapping upfield and scoring with a low shot.
After that the home team turned up the pressure on Suriname, creating several clear chances, but failing to score again.
On one occasion second half substitute striker Jerrel Britto sighted the far post from on the left flank and forced a good save from the Suriname keeper.
Earlier, goal-scorer Peltier had no excuse for his failure to head home a cross from six metres out in the 76th minute, his header turning the ball towards the corner flag.
Very late in the match Suriname had three bites of at least getting a consolation goal. First, Dimitirie Apai had his shot saved when alone with T&T goalie John Thomas in the 86th and, almost immediately, confusion in the Trinidad and Tobago defence gave Rocky Caise a look at an unprotected net. But the Suriname substitute failed to guide his shot to goal from atop the penalty area.
But Apai finally got Suriname on the score sheet in the first of four minutes of added-on time when taking a low cross in the penalty area, dancing past the defenders and then forcing a low shot into the goal.
Earlier on the night, coach Zoran Vranes' boys showed good approach work in the first half but were undone most times by a poor final pass, like when overlapping right back Dinell Lopez got by his opposing number then hit the ball too deep. Good idea, bad execution.
Despite the hot conditions and Suriname's defensive approach, Trinidad and Tobago had a golden chance to take the lead in the 45th minute.
Peltier did the more difficult thing when robbing the last defender of the ball on the left flank, but when facing keeper Firgilio Lamsberg, he lifted the ball over the crossbar.
Luckily, Trinidad and Tobago were able to get their scoring boots on in the second half, if only for a two-minute spell.
CARIBBEAN ZONE U-20 QUALIFIER
Trinidad & Tobago 2 (Johan Peltier 57th; Sheldon Bateau 59th) vs Suriname 1 (Dimitirie Apai 90th).