The Golden Jaguars rebounded from their opening loss in Group B of the CONCACAF men’s U20 Qualifiers, battling to a 2-2 stalemate with regional giant El Salvador yesterday at the Antigua and Barbuda Training Centre.
Guyana’s starting XI comprised Emmanuel Lewis, Gerry Burnett, Tyrese Lyle, Tyler Lyle, Tyrel Stephen, Solomon Austin, Matrim Martin, Nathaniel Pydana, Hemant Khedoo, Kyle Reid, and Ezekiel Rowland.
Pydana handed Guyana the initial lead as he found the back of the net in the 10th minute. The lead proved to be short-lived as Kiano Casamalhuapa levelled proceedings in the 22nd minute. The score remained unchanged heading into the halftime interval.
Upon the resumption, El Salvador was then forced to play in excess of 42 minutes with 10 players, as Daniel Espana was red carded in the 48th minute.
Despite their numerical handicap, the El Salvadorians seized the lead in the 62nd minute, as Wilber Diaz etched his name on the scorer’s sheet. Nonetheless, Guyana finally capitalised on their numerical superiority as Pydana completed his double in the 83rd minute from the penalty spot to seal the outcome.
In terms of statistics, El Salvador outshot Guyana 17-12, while they also recorded 12 corner kicks in comparison to the Golden Jaguars six.
With the result, both teams walk away with a point. In the second match of the pool, Suriname defeated Antigua and Barbuda 3-2. Guyana will resume their campaign tomorrow at 10:30am against Suriname.
