Trinidad and Tobago will attempt once again to defy the odds when they tackle Italy in their second Group A encounter at the Cairo International Stadium from 6:45pm (12:45pm TT time) on Monday.
The game is of utmost importance to both teams as the Italians will be aiming for three points which should put one foot for them into the second round while T&T will be hoping to grab their first three points to keep their hopes of advancing alive.
This time around though, the pressure is not as much it was in the opening clash with hosts Egypt as the T&T players have now experienced their first encounter at this level and will not have the first game butterflies.
“I think we are much more settled now because we got the first game out of the way. We know it’s another important game for us but I think now we believe that we can play the game and get results against these teams,” defender Robert Primus told TTFF Media.
“This is a bigger age group than what we experience in the Under 17s in Korea two years ago so it’s tougher and more attention. Once we put down the ball and play we have been looking good and capable of being a threat to these teams. We need to be disciplined in the game for longer periods and settle faster both at the start of the game and when the second half kicks off,” added the San Juan Jabloteh starter who enjoyed a solid showing against the Egyptians.
T&T’s priorities are clear the moment – go to win. It is left to be seen whether Zoran Vranes will make any changes to his start team but he will be pleased about Jean Luc Rochford’s recovery from an ankle problem which forced him to leave the game in the second half against Egypt.
“Well of course we always want to win and we always play to win. But we have some mistakes we have correct and try to avoid in our remaining matches. I believe that if we are stronger for longer periods then we can definitely get a result from this game. We can make it very difficult for Italy. We watched over the first game against Egypt and the players saw for themselves where they went wrong and what they must do to avoid this. Every game is different but in football, there is always a chance for you to do better and achieve more once you play to your best ability and take your chances when they come,” Vranes said.
T&T will play in their accustomed Red strips today and this will be the first meeting between T&T and Italy in any kind of official football meeting and by all means is another historic occasion. And despite the opening loss the country has attracted its fair share of recognition in Egypt as the National Flag is being flown on every other light pole throughout Cairo as part of FIFA’s marketing scheme for the tournament. A couple Trinidadians out in Cairo they only realized that the Under 20 team was here for the Finals after spotting the flag while driving through the city. They stopped by at the Fairmont Towers Hotel on Sunday to meet up with the contingent.
And one individual who has spoken proudly of representing the red, white and black is English-born midfielder Jake Thomson. Matter of fact, he doesn’t intend to give the Italians too much respect.
“We have to go into the game with a certain amount of respect but for me, yes Italy have played good football and they have won World Cups but the players that are in the Italy team at the moment, they’ve done nothing. I was expecting a lot more from them against Paraguay. They have got more pressure on them because they are Italy and that could work to our advantage. I think it’s going to be another good battle,” Thomson told TTFF Media following a walkthrough of the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday night.
“It was an incredible feeling. It was an extra special moment for me making my debut for Trinidad and Tobago. I hope I can do better in the next game. I thought we did okay even with the loss and now hopefully we can go on to better things,” Thomson said of his debut for T&T against Egypt on Thursday.
The team trained at the Egypt Military Academy Stadium rather than the match venue as the organizers explained to all teams in action there on Monday that the field needed time for recovery following its last bit of action. Neither team including Egypt or Paraguay, which face each other in the second game of the double header on Monday, were allowed to train at the match venue on the eve of their second Group A matches.
The venue for Monday’s match – the Cairo Stadium is a strong symbol of Egyptian football. Nearly all of the most important Egyptian matches are held there. It carries an extremely rich history which includes many memorable football moments that range from Hossam Hassan's famous header to secure Egypt's attendance in Italia 90 World Cup and numerous African Cup of Nations tournaments. It has a capacity of 74,000 and stadium officials said they expect close to 50,000 present on Monday as the home team will be involved in the second match.