Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Football => Topic started by: Tallman on June 06, 2005, 06:20:00 AM
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Beenhakker lauds Warriors after 2-0 win
By Joel Bailey (Trinidad Newsday)
NATIONAL football coach Leo Beenhakker lauded the efforts of his players in Saturday’s 2-0 triumph over Panama in the CONCACAF World Cup final round qualifier at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo. “When you win you feel good,” said Beenhakker during the post-match news conference. “I have to congratulate the players because we only had five days together and we did a lot of preparation. “They showed this afternoon that they’re playing like a real team and it’s a great result for us because it means we’re still in the race for third place (in the six-team group) at the moment,” Beenhakker continued.
“Panama is a good team and it wasn’t an easy match for us, especially just after half time, they had a very strong period. “But at least (Dennis Lawrence) was thinking to leave (the) defence and go for it as a striker. After all, it was a good decision.” Following Saturday’s round of qualifiers, Trinidad and Tobago jumped from last place to fourth with four points, behind Guatemala on superior goal-difference. In a move which shocked many, Kelvin Jack appeared in goal over incumbent Clayton Ince, but Beenhakker later revealed that Ince was suffering from a sore back. Nonetheless, Beenhakker is not resting on his laurels, especially with a clash away to Mexico at the University Stadium, Monterrey on Wednesday.
“We still need (to do) a lot of things but, at the moment, we’re very happy with the result and we know in a few days we have a very difficult match because Mexico, without doubt, are the best (team) in this group,” he said. “But, we showed that we can play very strong so we’ll go there with a lot of confidence and looking for a good result over there too.” Even though he opened the scoring in the 34th minute, Stern John continued to misfire in front of goal and showed displeasure when he was substituted by Kenwyne Jones in the 72nd minute. But Beenhakker was quick to silence any notions about a rift between the two.
“Stern John played a very good game,” the Dutch-born coach emphatically stated. “You don’t have to value a striker only on how many goals he scores. “He did a very good job in front, he created a lot of space for Dwight (Yorke), for Carlos (Edwards), for Densil (Theobald),” Beenhakker continued. “Stern worked very hard, he gave everything he could. I’m very satisfied with Stern.” Lawrence’s expertedly-taken goal, in the 72nd, was arguably the crucial play of the match, after the Panamanians were desperately seeking the equaliser. But the 28-year-old Lawrence was modest about the goal, which sent the estimated 15,000 crowd into a frenzy.
“As a footballer, you have to take (your) chances, whether it’s the first minute or the last minute, I took a chance and it paid off in the end,” said the lanky central defender. “We were looking for the second goal and, fortunately enough, it came from me.” The Wrexham fullback, known to his team-mates as “Tallest” added: “For me, as a defender, a lot of people in the crowd would have expected me to miss. So I was under no pressure to score the goal.
“I kept my composure, kept my head down and tried to hit the target. And it went in. It was a clinical finish, one of the best I’ve ever scored.” And he revealed how important the fans were towards the team during the entire match. “The crowd don’t know the important part (nor) the role they play,” he admitted. “You could see the impact they had on the game because of their drive, it gave us a boost and we gave them something in return. “It was superb the way they supported the team.”
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“I kept my composure, kept my head down and tried to hit the target. And it went in. It was a clinical finish, one of the best I’ve ever scored.” And he revealed how important the fans were towards the team during the entire match. “The crowd don’t know the important part (nor) the role they play,” he admitted. “You could see the impact they had on the game because of their drive, it gave us a boost and we gave them something in return. “It was superb the way they supported the team.”
Yuh see dat, all of us who went the game and the rest of us here on the site need a clap for showing our support and sticking with this side.
We important too.
As Anil Roberts would say.........take a high Performer!