Guyana bow out of Olympic quest…
Costa Rica take final leg
Guyana Chronicle
November 24, 2003
THE National Under-23 team bowed out of the Olympic run, yesterday, going down to Costa Rica, 3-1, despite displaying big improvements at the Blairmont Community Centre ground.
All the goals were scored in the first half, with Erick Scott, Alvaro Saborio and Roy Myrie netting for the Costa Ricans and captain Shawn Beveney doing the honours for the hosts.
Playing under cool conditions, the Guyanese held out until 27 minutes into the game, eventually feeling the pressure from the absence of key defenders Walter Moore and Orlando Jilgeous. Scott tucked in the first goal as the visitors attacked the southern goal.
But seven minutes later, Beveney received a nice pass the finished to produce the equaliser in the 35th minute.
Somehow, the goal did not spur the Guyanese on and Saborio increased his Olympic goals to nine in 42nd minute and Myrie followed within a minute.
No more goals materialised although Guyana had good possession, they hardly shot with the wind behind them.
Costa Rica considered having no more use for star striker Saborio and he was substituted fairly early in the half.
The visitors had a goal disallowed in the half, the ball passing through the legs of goalkeeper Fidel Smith but the off side flag was up.
In the closing minutes of the game, Beveney had a good, strong run to goal but failed to pass the ball, having drawn the defenders and in the process was blown for a foul.
With a 10-1 aggregate, Costa Rica now advance to the CONCACAF final billed for Mexico next year, but international commentator Joseph “Reds” Perreira said on National radio that they would have to lift their game to another level to go any further on the road to the Athens Games.
Perreira also pointed out that Guyana were at a disadvantage because there were not many tall players.
The sports personality said that there was promise in the team developing into a better one and had the money been available, they should have been exposed to teams from South America for warm-up matches.
Perreira, however, observed that there would have been some rough edges which were difficult to smooth out at this late stage and called for the game to start in the schools.