Dwight Yorke Scores First Win as Trinidad & Tobago Manager
Former Manchester United ace will attempt to mastermind home success over Cuba in bid for Gold Cup glory
Dwight Yorke grabbed his maiden win as Trinidad & Tobago head coach on Friday, by beating Cuba 2-1 in Friday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup preliminary first leg tussle.
The former England and Manchester United striker, who was appointed T&T boss last year after being turned down by Jamaica, will have home support for his Soca Warriors when they tackle Cuba in the second leg on Tuesday.
With Cuban football on the rise after a few years in the doldrums, it was an impressive away win for Yorke’s troops inside the 5,000-capacity Antonio Maceo Stadium at Santiago de Cuba.
In a largely scrappy affair Guatemala-based Yasnier Matos opened the scoring on six minutes for Cuba. Isaiah Lee equalised midway through the first half, and Steffen Yeates bagged the winner on 53 minutes.
Yorke was enthusiastic in his post-match press conference: “Cuba are a very good team, and we had to work extremely hard. This is a huge result for me, the team and the country.
“We knew the players were up for it mentally as well as physically. I’m so proud of my players in terms of what they have done, having to come to a very difficult place in Santiago to get a result.
“We know that this game [series] is not over, we still [have] got one more game to play. We are 90 minutes away [from overall victory], and a lot can happen in the game in 90 minutes.”
Yorke, who had tasted two defeats and a draw since replacing Angus Eve in November, had to watch in despair as Cuba controlled the early exchanges.
Marquense striker made the early breakthrough with a slick move that was drilled past keeper Denzil Smith from a tight angle. The hosts came close to doubling their tally through Willian Pozo, but Smith was equal to the 10th-minute effort.
Once the Soca Warriors settled into their stride, it was a matter of when they would score. Debutant Tyrese Spicer picked out La Horquetta Rangers’ forward Lee, who bundled the ball over the line to level matters on 20 minutes.
The remainder of the first-half became a midfield battle, with Cuba looking the strongest side and forcing a series of threatening set pieces.
After the turnaround the Jones brothers, Joevin and Alvin, combined brilliantly to set up Canada-based midfielder Yeates to snatch the lead.
Cuba bounced back with aplomb, desperately bidding to restore parity, but as they committed players forward they left gaps that were exploited.
At the other end of the pitch T&T were twice denied by the woodwork with Stevenage midfielder Daniel Phillips’ effort rattling the crossbar and Defence Force FC’s whizzy winger Kaihim Thomas hitting the post.
Cuba substitute striker Alessio Raballo, who plays in Italy for Parma U19, fluffed a pair of goalscoring opportunities in the final few minutes. He could be a dangerous player for Yorke’s side if unleashed for the second leg.
The teams will clash inside the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on Tuesday, with T&T enjoying home advantage, with a place in the prestigious Gold Cup finals up for grabs.
Yorke admitted: “My players won’t be complacent and we won’t be taking Cuba lightly. I anticipate that Cuba will think they have a very good chance of turning this tie around. We’ve got to make sure we’re fully aware of that and prepare correctly.
“We have a good record against Cuba and we will probably be slight favourites going into the game. We will not be taking this lightly, we know how good of a team Cuba can be.”
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