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17
Wed, Apr
Match Report
Trinidad & Tobago Netherlands Antilles
T&T flag Netherlands Antilles
Marvin Andrews (19')
Angus Eve (43')
Angus Eve (57')
Arnold Dwarika (63')
Arnold Dwarika (86')

FIFA World Cup™ Qualifier
DateVenueLocationAttendance
2000-03-04Marvin Lee StadiumTunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago12435


T&T make mas with Antilles


TRINIDAD and Tobago footballers got the result they were hoping for to kick off their 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign when they outclassed the Netherlands Antilles 5-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo yesterday.

Playing before an enthusiastic crowd of around 8,000, double strikes from Gold Cup "All Star" Arnold Dwarika (63rd & 85th) and Angus Eve (42nd & 60th) and an opening item from defender Marvin Andrews (19th minute) left new coach Ian Porterfield and his fellow technical partners pleased.
 
The Soca Warriors however could have gone into the away leg on March 18 with a goal advantage in double figures.
 
Even Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke was monitoring the action from England. "I was very pleased with the performance even though there are still things we have to improve on. In general I was very happy with the attitude of the players and their approach to the game when you consider how much time I had to them to prepare.
 
"We scored five nice goals and we probably could have scored five more. But that's not a problem. It's a great start and I'm happy," said Porterfield after the match.
 
"The main thing was not getting complacent after the Gold Cup. We did really well and we deserved to win," said captain Anthony Rougier.
 
In the midst of the annual Carnival celebrations and the presence of several soca artistes including David Rudder, Superblue, Machel Montano, Chinese Laundry, Iwer George and others, the red clad fans saw their team in command almost from the opening whistle of Honduran referee Agillo Sabillos.
 
The Dutchmen survived a penalty appeal when Eve went down in the 12th minute but six minutes later, their misery began when his free kick from the left was headed into the left corner past goalkeeper Marcello Pisas by Andrews.
 
Porterfield said that the first goal of the qualifying tournament worldwide resulted from a set play that was practised in Friday's training session.
 
Defenders Brent Sancho and Sherwyn Julien were the only two starting members who were not in the original World Cup roster and though there were instances of misunderstanding among the team at times they never in trouble Eve playing up front alongside Dwarika, saw his header go wide in the 20th minute and chose to pass to the Joe Public striker in the 30th only for his shot to be deflected over bar.
 
A few minutes the same combination followed but the result was the same.
 
Eve then had the fans celebrating a second time when he met a pass by midfielder Russell Latapy before evading a challenge from the advancing 'keeper to bury into an open net.
 
The Netherlands who were robust in their challenges, hardly threatened the T&T goal leaving goalkeeper Clayton Ince a spectator for much of the game.
 
Following two misses by Dwarika inside the first five minutes after the break, Eve notched his second item when Sancho found Mason wide on the left before his cross was neatly headed home by the Chester City man.
 
After flying in from Portugal on Friday, Sancho, who later received a rousing ovation from the fans and a handshake from Porterfield on his exit near the end, almost put his name on the scoresheet but Pisas held onto a close range attempt.
 
T&T were all over their opponents but Pisas and his defenders were fortunate not to concede much more.
 
Dwarika put T&T 4-0 ahead after captain Rougier attempted to go forward and the ball ran nicely for him to shake off a defender and rifle a right- footer past a stranded Pisas.
 
Bristol Rovers striker Nigel Pierre replaced Eve and was left kicking his heels after squandering at least four scoring opportunities.
 
In the 78th Pisas kept out his close range attempt and he fired over bar soon after. Dwarika got the fifth of the evening when he hit a low effort into the unprotected net after shaking off Pisas.
 
Later Pierre's downward header would bounce over bar and after Pisas failed to hold Latapy's shot cleanly, the 20-year-old directed wide.
 
But five seemed to be enough and the fans were all too happy dancing to the sounds of soca and pan after as a mini steelband followed the team bus out of the stadium. 

LINEUP
21.Clayton Ince
4.Marvin Andrews
6.Shurland David
13.Subbed outAnsil Elcock
 Subbed in 75' Mickey Trotman
5.Subbed outBrent Sancho
 Subbed in 87' Avery John
9.Arnold Dwarika
8.Subbed outAngus Eve
 Subbed in 71' Nigel Pierre
3.Sherwyn Julien
10.Russell Latapy
16.Stokely Mason
17.Anthony Rougier (capt.)
SUBSTITUTES
15.Avery John
19.Nigel Pierre
11.Mickey Trotman
22.Ross Russell
2.Derek King
14.Kerwin Jemmott
7.Evans Wise
COACH
 Ian Porterfield
SUBSTITUTIONS
71'Subbed outSubbed inNigel Pierre for Angus Eve
75'Subbed outSubbed inMickey Trotman for Ansil Elcock
87'Subbed outSubbed inAvery John for Brent Sancho