Starting X1 vs Panama
Thirty-six year-old Neil Danns scored Guyana’s first goal and a double at the Concacaf Gold Cup in Guyana’s debut appearance at the tournament in the 33rd and 90 +3 minute, both from the penalty spot, after Jordon Dover was brought down and a handled ball in the area.
But the Golden Jaguars’ robust and brave performance was not enough as they ended up going down in consecutive matches, this time to Panama, 4-2. The match was # 311 in Gold Cup history and Panama’s 40th (39 GP: 13W-15D-11L (55GF-46GC) in the tournament, overall.
Guyana lost its debut match in the tournament against the USA on June 18 while Panama got past Trinidad and Tobago by a 2-0 margin on the same day in the Group D opener and have punched their ticket to the quarter finals.
The Golden Jaguars, urged on by their faithful supporters decked out in their yellow national team jerseys and waving the Golden Arrowhead with pride, rallied on their team as they rivaled their Panamanian counterparts chant for chant.
Panama had taken the lead in the 16th minute following miscommunication in the Guyanese defensive third, Abdiel Arroyo tucking the ball into the back of the nets. Continuing to match their rivals, Guyana, on the back end of another promising run into the attacking third of their opponents, drew a penalty when Dover was brought down.
Neil Danns inked his name in the history books by sending goalie Luis Mejia to his left while blasting in the ball to the right for the nation’s first goal at this level much to the delight of the fans.
While it was Guyana’s first match at this venue, it was Panama’s second having defeated Martinique there in the 2017 Gold Cup, 3-0in a Group B match.
Panama has played 11 times against Caribbean teams at the Gold Cup and only lost once, against Guadeloupe in Group C of 2009; they have racked up five wins (before this match) and a similar number of draws, scoring 21 goals and conceding 12.
After Guyana fought back and brought parity to the score (1-1), Panama retook the lead fortuitously so when Terrence Vancooten, in attempting to clear the ball, knocked it past Akel Clarke in the 40th minute.
Following the first half which ended 2-1 in Panama’s favour, the winners further increased their advantage in the 51stminute from a penalty which was controversial; Eric Davis scoring on the second attempt after Clarke brought off a brilliant save to deny him.
Referee, Daneon Parchment from Jamaica deemed that Clarke came off his line even without the assistance of VAR.
Panama scored again in the 86th minute through Gabriel Torres to make it a 4-0 game. But Guyana never gave up and was awarded their second penalty in the 90+3rd minute, Neil Danns blasting the nets again as Mejia had a sniff of a chance to deny the Bury FC player.
Final score Guyana 2, Panama 4. Coach Michael Johnson who now has a record of 3 wins and 4 losses as the head tactician of the Golden Jaguars voiced his disappointment with the performance of his charges.
“If I’m looking at effort and commitment, the performance of the team was of a different class, again they gave everything. What I was disappointed with was the way we utilized the ball, we weren’t efficient with it, we weren’t careful with it and the final goal started with a bad pass from us in a comfortable possession with the ball.”
Johnson lamented the fact that the first penalty was not even a penalty and felt harshly done by it. He questioned the Referee deciding to call for a retake without the assistance of VAR.
“But generally we’re pleased, I mean look, we could have passed the ball better but I think first half we showed what we can do. But it is just disappointing because we gave away goals and we are not good enough to give teams three, four goals head start, we are not good enough and until we start tightening up, this will happen.”
Starting X1: 1 Akel Clarke, 4 Elliot Bonds (19 Stephen Duke-McKenna), 5 Jordan Dover, 8 Samuel Cox (C), 10 Emery Welshman, 11 Callum Harriot (7 Keanu Marsh-Brown), 13 Liam Gordon, 15 Terrence Vancooten, 16 Neil Danns, 17 Torell Ondann (23 Anthony Jeffrey), 20 Matthew Briggs
Substitutions: 18 Alex Murray, 22 Quillan Roberts, 2 Kevin Layne, 3 Daniel Wilson, 6 Ronyane Marsh-Brown, 7 Keanu Marsh-Brown, 9 Sheldon Holder, 12 Pernel Schultz, 14 Daniel Wilson, 19 Stephen Duke-McKenna, 21 Brandon Beresford, 23 Anthony Jeffrey