Grenada shock T&T with 2-1 win

Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

AN INJURY-time goal from defensive midfielder Ricky Charles led Grenada to an upset 2-1 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in the opening match of the Digicel Caribbean Championship Finals at the National Stadium last night.

Striker Kithson Bain scored in the 36th minute to give Grenada the lead before Cornell Glenn weaved a goal from a nice solo effort to draw highly fancied Trinidad and Tobago level in the 69th minute.

The win lifted Grenada to three points while T&T have none in the four-team Group A, from which two will qualify for the semi-finals after round-robin action.

"We are extremely happy for the victory here today. We have worked hard over the past few months and we are dedicated in doing our job and going forward," said Anthony Modeste, player/ coach and captain of Grenada, who are ranked 139th by FIFA.

One game at a time

"We are taking it one game at a time. We have already crossed one hurdle, so now it's just to savour the victory and get ready for the other game on Friday," Modeste said.

They will play Barbados at Jarrett Park, Montego Bay, at 5 p.m. when Group A action resumes tomorrow.

Grenada missed a glorious chance to lead 2-0 in the first half when Guyanese referee Otis James awarded a penalty for a hand ball. However, Modeste, who plays with local Digicel Premier League champions Portmore United, took a weak shot that was saved by Trinidad and Tobago custodian Jan Michael Williams.

Trinidad and Tobago also went very close to scoring in the first half but Glenn, wide open at goalmouth, surprisingly headed the ball on to the crossbar, thus missing the chance to equalise.

"It's very simple, if you have you chances and put them away, you will win; if you don't put away your chances away, you are going to lose," noted Trinidad and Tobago's Colombian coach, Francisco Maturana, through an interpreter. "We had several chances to score and we did not score. We leave here with a bitter taste but with our heads held high knowing that we will play better next game."

'We are extremely happy for the victory here today. We have worked hard over the past few months and we are dedicated in doing our job and going forward.'