Glasgow nets twice as Guyana trounce Barbados

OMARI GLASGOW netted twice as Guyana trounced Barbados 5-0 on Sunday evening, in their first match of the invitational tri-nation football series – the Courts Caribbean Classic – at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.

Quincy Adams, Pernell Schultz and Neil Danns were also on the scoresheet for the Jamaal Shabazz-coached Guyana squad, who will be facing Trinidad and Tobago in the final match of the competition on Tuesday, at the Mucurapo venue.

Barbados were without coach Russell Latapy due to personal reasons, but their squad were again on the receiving end of a hammering, 48 hours after they were spanked 9-0 by the hosts.

From the onset, it seemed a matter of when, not if, Guyana would break down the Barbados defence, and it came from a set-piece, in the 11th minute.

Adams met a corner from Glasgow with a header which was placed beyond the right of Barbados goalkeeper Liam Brathwaite.

Glasgow, who operated on both flanks, was at the thick of things in the 33rd, when he picked out Trayon Bobb with a delicate pass, inside the penalty box, but Bobb’s effort, from close range, was blocked by the goalkeeper.

The Guyanese would extend their lead four minutes later, when Torell Ondaan collected a poor pass from substitute left-back Honor Bradshaw and slipped the ball through to Schultz who slotted his shot past a stranded Brathwaite.

Glasgow duly got his name on the scoresheet in the 40th minute, with a tap-in, from inside the six-yard box, after good work down the left from Ondaan.

Danns, a half-time introduction by Shabazz, converted a penalty in the 48th minute, after he was bundled over in the box by Bradshaw. Danns was attempting a rebound effort, following a header which crashed off the uprights.

And Glasgow wrapped up the scoring in the 61st, with a right-footed shot past Brathwaite.

Following the game, Shabazz said, "We were able to mix and match our overseas-based players with our locally-based players and, in doing so, get a result."

Shabazz made it clear that he did see Barbados as vulnerable opponents, after their lopsided defeat to the hosts on Friday.

"When you look at the game they played against Trinidad and Tobago, (goalkeeper) Marvin Phillip could easily have been a candidate for Man of the Match with Levi (Garcia)," said the Guyana team coach. "Barbados fought well (but TT were) extremely clinical in front of goal. It's one of the best displays I've seen, at (the) international level, in scoring.

"I never, for one minute, took Barbados lightly. We came out with our game face and we knew we would have to work hard."

Looking ahead to Tuesday's match against TT, Shabazz, the former TT men's and women's team coach, is awaiting a tough contest.

"We want to mix and match, we want to give Trinidad and Tobago a tough time," he said. "We dare them to put the ball down and bring it out as they did against Barbados. If they do it and get through, they would truly be an international team, ready for Concacaf. But, first, they're going to get past us and it's going to be very difficult for them."