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Football / 'Almost perfect' Warriors target Caribbean title after Antigua win
« on: October 12, 2014, 11:21:45 PM »
‘Almost perfect’ Warriors keep 100 percent record; Jones targets Caribbean title
By Lasana Libured (Wired868.com)
The first noticeable slip from a Trinidad and Tobago footballer at the Ato Boldon Stadium tonight came about half hour after the final whistle as the media playfully grilled midfielder Hughtun Hector about life in Vietnam where he represents champion club, Hanoi T&T.
“I try to learn a few words but the language is difficult,” said Hector. “I learned to say a few things like: ‘thanks’ and ‘I love you’.”
The diminutive playmaker turned red as reporters roared in laughter. Hector had probably said a little bit more about life in Vietnam than he would have liked.
In the prior 90 minutes, though, the “Soca Warriors” gave nothing away as the Trinidad and Tobago senior team edged Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 for its third successive win of the 2014 Caribbean Cup qualifying tournament.
Both teams advance to the regional finals. Trinidad and Tobago will play in Group A alongside defending champion, Cuba, French Guiana and Curacao while Antigua and Barbuda is in Group B with host Jamaica, Martinique and Haiti.
Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart suggested that regional football fans should get used to seeing a lot of Antigua and Barbuda.
“I was really impressed with Antigua,” said Hart. “I will make a prediction; I think you will see them in the (2015) Gold Cup.”
Antigua and Barbuda has never qualified for CONCACAF’s showcase tournament before and the tiny nation can hardly afford to be cocky in a group that includes two former Caribbean champions, Jamaica and Martinique, and a Haitian team on an upward trajectory.
But the “Benna Boys”, led by Polish technical director Piotr Nowak and coach Rolston Williams, were not short of tactical discipline and desire in Couva and, even without injured midfield ace Jorrin Jones, were able to conjure up a few half chances tonight.
There was no doubting Trinidad and Tobago’s superiority though and, for once, Hart was satisfied.
“I am very, very proud of the team tonight,” said Hart. “(Antigua and Barbuda) played exactly as we thought and I thought we executed well. I was most impressed with the discipline we kept in the game...
“We knew they would sit deep, try to pull us forward and see what happened after that. I told the players: don’t throw yourselves into it; be patient and move the ball around and you will get chances.”
Read more
By Lasana Libured (Wired868.com)
The first noticeable slip from a Trinidad and Tobago footballer at the Ato Boldon Stadium tonight came about half hour after the final whistle as the media playfully grilled midfielder Hughtun Hector about life in Vietnam where he represents champion club, Hanoi T&T.
“I try to learn a few words but the language is difficult,” said Hector. “I learned to say a few things like: ‘thanks’ and ‘I love you’.”
The diminutive playmaker turned red as reporters roared in laughter. Hector had probably said a little bit more about life in Vietnam than he would have liked.
In the prior 90 minutes, though, the “Soca Warriors” gave nothing away as the Trinidad and Tobago senior team edged Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 for its third successive win of the 2014 Caribbean Cup qualifying tournament.
Both teams advance to the regional finals. Trinidad and Tobago will play in Group A alongside defending champion, Cuba, French Guiana and Curacao while Antigua and Barbuda is in Group B with host Jamaica, Martinique and Haiti.
Trinidad and Tobago coach Stephen Hart suggested that regional football fans should get used to seeing a lot of Antigua and Barbuda.
“I was really impressed with Antigua,” said Hart. “I will make a prediction; I think you will see them in the (2015) Gold Cup.”
Antigua and Barbuda has never qualified for CONCACAF’s showcase tournament before and the tiny nation can hardly afford to be cocky in a group that includes two former Caribbean champions, Jamaica and Martinique, and a Haitian team on an upward trajectory.
But the “Benna Boys”, led by Polish technical director Piotr Nowak and coach Rolston Williams, were not short of tactical discipline and desire in Couva and, even without injured midfield ace Jorrin Jones, were able to conjure up a few half chances tonight.
There was no doubting Trinidad and Tobago’s superiority though and, for once, Hart was satisfied.
“I am very, very proud of the team tonight,” said Hart. “(Antigua and Barbuda) played exactly as we thought and I thought we executed well. I was most impressed with the discipline we kept in the game...
“We knew they would sit deep, try to pull us forward and see what happened after that. I told the players: don’t throw yourselves into it; be patient and move the ball around and you will get chances.”
Read more