Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 15 Boys team took the lead twice but could not hold on as Panama completed a come from behind 5-4 victory over the hosts in the second game of the opening double header in the 2019 TTFA Youth Invitational tournament at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Wednesday night.
The match was witnessed by an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd as the young ‘Warriors’ put on a gritty display and found the net in style to the delight of the home fans who had been waiting for something to cheer from the Red,White and Black for quite some time. Earlier in the day Mexico scored two second half goals to defeat Venezuela 2-0.
The Panamanians got double items from from Rafael Diaz and Reymundo Arauz after T&T went ahead in the 17th minute to send the stadium into a frenzy. Josiah Wilson’s cross from a corner was turned into the goal by Panama defender Felix Ariza in his mis-attempt at clearing.
Soon after T&T goalkeeper Kanye Lazarus was called into action to deny Rafael Diaz. On 27 minutes the visitors would storm back. Reymundo Arauz got past two men before firing past Lazarus to level the scores. and ten minutes later they were 2-1 ahead when Diaz was brought down in the penalty area by Molik Khan. Diaz nailed the resulting penalty.
T&T didn’t drop their heads and were back in it when Khan converted from a left side corner by Abdul-Quddoos Hypolite in the 41st.
Both teams came out after the interval looking to seize the initiative. T&T moved ahead when captain Jaheim Marshall found time and space and picked his spot well as he fired home with thunderous effort leaving Panama goalkeeper Ivani Pitty with no chance.
Panama kept pace with the hosts and would pull away, punishing T&T for napping.Arauz was unmarked in the 69th minute when he was served a lifting ball inside the area and took it nicely on the chest before beating advancing goalkeeper Lazarus. There were appeals for an offside but the goal stood.
Evans Zuniga made another searching run down the right flank and whipped in a cross that Emanuel Iglesias slotted in for a 4-3 lead. An unmarked Arauz then sent Diaz through as he shot past Lazarus to put the visitors 5-3 ahead.
Nathaniel James gave T&T late hop of salvaging something from the match when he moved past the Panama defence before slotting home three minutes from time.
T&T tried to steal a late equaliser and had a couple half chances near the end that didn’t go in.
All in all, an encouraging display from the young team that will meet Venezuela on Friday at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Results
Panama 5 (Reymundo Arauz 27th, 69th, Rafael Diaz 37th-Pen, 73rd, Emanuel Iglesias 70th) v T&T 4 (Felix Ariza 17th Own-Goal, Molik Khan 41st, Jaheim Marshall 69th, Nathaniel James 87th)
Mexico 2 (Jésus Moreno 72nd, Gael Bernal 83rd) v Venezuela 0
Standings
P W D L F A Pts
Mexico 1 1 0 0 2 0 3
Panama 1 1 0 0 5 4 3
T&T 1 0 0 1 4 5 0
Venezuela 1 0 0 1 0 2 0
Fevrier's Post Match Comments after T&T U-15's opening loss to Panama
Teams Starting Line-ups
T&T: 1.Kanye Lazarus; 2.Christian Bailey, 4.Jaron Pascall, 5.Tyrik Trotman, 3.Dawn St Rose (12.Kriston Stafford 82nd); 6.Jaheim Marshall (capt), 8.Molik Jesse Khan (15.Dantaye Gilbert 78th); 7.Abdul-Quddoos Hypolite (17.Jaheim Faustin 52nd), 10.Nathaniel James, 11.Josiah Wilson; 9.Ja-Shawn Thomas.
Unused Substitutes: 18.Tristan Edwards, 20.Jared Edmond; 13.Kassidy Davidson, 14.Jovonn Gomes, 16.Caleb Borneo, 19.Isaiah Thompson.
Head Coach: Stuart Charles Fevrier.
Panama: 21.Ivan Pitty; 2.Wiluam Chacon, 3.Felix Ariza, 5.Carlos Ruiz, 7.Abraham Mejia, 9.Zinedine Diaz, 10.Reymundo Arauz, 14.Omar Dominguez, 15.Ricardo Sanchez, 16.Aimar Butcher (capt), 17.Caleb Garcia.
Substitutes From: 12.Vincente Obando, 1.Gustavo Fernandez; 4.Omar Burrowes, 6.Estarlin Villaverde, 8.Evans Zuniga, 11.Emerson Rivas, 13.Rafael Diaz, 18.Emanuel Iglesias.
Head Coach: Jorge Santos.
RELATED NEWS
Battling T&T U-15s downed by Panama 5-4.
By Walter Alibey (Guardian).
Despite a fighting display, T&T’s Under-15 footballers received a baptism of fire in their opening match of the T&T Football Association's Invitational Youth Tournament against Panama at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Balmain, Couva, going down to Panama 5-4.
Panama got a double strike each from Rafael Diaz and Reymundo Arauz to spearhead the win.
The young T&T development team, under coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier, settled in nicely in the early moments and lifted the crowd to its feet when Josiah Wilson delivered a pin-point cross from a corner that Panama defender Felix Ariza fired into his own goal as he attempted to clear in the 17th minute.
The Panamanians could have equalised almost immediately after but after Rafael Diaz was put through an open T&T defence, he shot straight into the outstretched leg of goalkeeper Kanye Lazarus.
The Panamanians took control of the match soon after and mounted a series of attacks. They got the breakthrough in the 27th when Reymundo Arauz dribbled past two defenders on top the area and rifled his shot past Lazarus into the roof of the net.
From another build-up in the 37th minute, the Panamanians went ahead for the first time when Diaz raced into the T&T penalty area and was hacked down by Molik Khan, causing referee Gladwyn Johnson to point to the penalty spot. Diaz then picked himself up and beat Lazarus with a powerful low shot to the bottom left corner.
However, the junior Soca Warriors would not be denied the equaliser and four minutes before the break, Khan made amends for giving away the penalty when he turned Abdul Hypolite's left-side corner past the Panama goalie to send the teams to the break level at 2-2.
Thereafter, T&T lifted their performance and was rewarded for it when captain Jaheim Marshall was given room some 20-yards out and unleased a thunderous shot that beat the outstretched dive of Ivani Pitty in the Panama goal.
But an unexplainable period of lapse from the T&T defence then resulted in two goals for the Panamanians. Arauz was unmarked in the 69th minute when he was served a lifting ball inside the area and took it nicely on the chest before beating advancing goalkeeper Lazarus.
And exactly a minute later, Evans Zuniga made another searching run down the right flank and whipped in a cross that Emanuel Iglesias slotted in for a 4-3 advantage.
The visitors sought to extend their lead in the 73rd minute after Arauz was again left unmarked when a pass was lifted to him and he released to Diaz, who hit a shot that took a deflection off Tyrik Trotman before beating Lazarus.
But T&T had one last moment of magic for the fans when Nathaniel James weaved his way past a crowd of Panama defenders before sliding it past the onrushing goalkeeper in the 87th minute.