Belize takes down Nicaragua in qualifying football match
Good evening I’m James Adderley and you’re locked into this thing we call Sports Monday. All roads led to the Capital city, Belmopan, yesterday where the Football Federation of Belize staged Belize’s opening round appearance in UNCAF’s under twenty-one qualifying tournament by hosting Nicaragua to kick off the home and away series. We must give credit to the organizers who obviously put some time and effort into an impressive opening ceremony that incorporated the youth of the Jewel. Right from the opening whistle the visitors displayed superior ball control and were denied an early goal launched by their captain, Norfran Norales by the diving save from goalkeeper Frank Lopez. At the other end Belize got a lucky bounce when Henry Maradiaga misreads this ball but Amin August cannot capitalize and takes an elbow from the keeper in the process.
Belize gets a half a chance to score when Clifton West lifts this ball to Amin August but again August loses out to keeper Maradiaga. In the meantime, this set piece provides a real challenge for Frank Lopez in the Belize goal and he does come up with a save he had to make. The pressure continues to mount on the home side when Norfran Norales unleashes this spot kick which is rejected only by the far upright. We’re some twenty-five minutes in when Julian Maldonado picks out Clifton West who gets two tries with the left foot to give Belize a 1-zip lead in its first good look at goal. The home team now with new confidence looks for more but Maldonado squanders this opportunity by going with the cute stuff. Devon Makin then springs August loose but the striker beats the keeper with too heavy a touch to make him pay and at the half Belize is up 1-zip.
Coming out of intermission Nicaragua goes to the set piece for the equalizer and while Norales does get a good look, he misses the target by inches. At the other end, August sets up Jabian Maldonado perfectly but his shot is right at the keeper. Talk about squandering a golden opportunity, Amin August gets this one on one look at Maradiaga and he makes the Nicaraguan keeper look good. One minute later, August and Maldonado fail to show team work on a real chance to make it 2-nil. Instead Maldonado goes individual with a high riser. So August tries to make amends with this impressive individual effort. Unfortunately, the shot just wouldn’t bend for him. Now here’s a mistake Windell Trapp gets away with as Axel Villanueva botches the opportunity and Belize sighs with relief. When the long whistle arrives Belize has recorded a 1-zip W in the home game of a home and away series. The dodged defense and physical strength of the under twenty-one selection had negated the superior passing game of the visitors. It is our opinion that a 1-zip lead is not enough going into Nicaragua.
Clifton West, Team Belize
“We fought for it but unfortunately the opportunities weren’t there or we didn’t finish them so that’s all I gotta say.”
James Adderley
“Let’s look at the positive side, the opportunity that you converted, tell us about that.”
Clifton West
“From this week I was telling them that I was going to score there. I had my mind set and that is what I came here looking for. I got one break and I put it in.”
James Adderley
“We’re going to Nicaragua after this, do you think we have done enough to be able to say we can advance in this series?”
Clifton West
“There’s never enough done. This is just a half of the game. There’s another there and they will have their fans. I feel like we will feel the same pressure they felt here.”
Bertie Chimilio, President, FFB
“This game was very technical. We had all the tapes of the Nicaragua team. We knew how they play so there was no need to control any ball or look pretty on the field. It was simple; put the ball on the flag, send it over—if you notice Nicaragua play bunched up—and we practiced that this week out of twenty-two times, they scored fifteen times everyday. I don’t know what went wrong, this is the real thing, but I will take this win definitely. We have to take this win because it is a won but we thought it could have been more because of how we practiced. The coaches executed well. Our coaches for some reason did not do what they are to do but that’s the way it is.”
James Adderley
“Now, you know one is not enough going into Nicaragua.”
Bertie Chimilio
“Worse so it’s not enough because we will be playing on different turf in Nicaragua, a turf we’re not used to so definitely one is not good. We have to go out there and change the strategy and maintain this lead but I am not happy because of that.”
In other football news, round eight in the B.P.F.L.’s Caribbean Motor Cup finds four matches this Sunday march twenty-eighth. BRC Blaze will host the B.D.F. at the FFB Field, Belmopan San Pedro Seadogs will get a visit from Paradise Freedom Fighters, Shanaiah Corozal travels to Hankook Verdes and F.C. Belize will be inside the M.C.C. Grounds against Georgetown Ibayani.
Turning to the basketball scene we’re inside the City Center for Friday night’s senior match up in the Balling 4 Life tournament as the UB jaguars are taking Jamboree to school. Daniel Nolberto sets up Stephen Williams on the back door pass and the UB Captain slams it home for an eleven point UB lead two minutes into second quarter. Williams would finish with eleven points. It’s all UB in this one. Williams deals to Winston Pratt and he sinks the three pointer. He would throw up eleven points tonight. At the half the Jaguars are up 44-25. Things get worse for Jamboree in the third as Williams raises up to sink this jumper. Egbert Walford who shot twenty-two percent from the field strikes for three here. He would lead all scorers with twenty points. In the meantime, the veteran Darren Bovell who strikes for three here led UB with twelve points. At the end of three quarters the UB lead is now 66-35. The rout continues the rest of the way people as UB Jaguars crush Jamboree 88-46 in regulation.
On the junior ticket the Belize Bank Bulldogs junior overwhelmed NHI 110-36. In the meantime, B.E.L.’s blackout on Sunday forced a cancellation of the three game schedule. Thus we have action on Wednesday night as Lake I Boys will take on Rising Stars and in the female game, Sparks take on Mysfits. On Friday Brothers Habet will tackle the Belize Bank while the junior ticket finds Ballers in action against NHI in the junior opener.
In other basketball news, playing the Corozal basketball competition in week four saw comebacks crush Customs Wadada 59-45 while Jah Soldier marched over Team Papas 91-84. In week five Libertad Rebels take on Customs and Jah Soldier takes on Comebacks.
Turning to the Cycling Scene, Avides Rivas of Sugar City took this week’s Saturday race presented by Belize cycling Association beating out teammate Rodrigo Leiva while Brandon Cattouse of C-Ray pulled up third, Edward Reyes fourth and George Abraham Jr. rounds out the top five. Meanwhile, the eleventh Junior Cross Country Cycling Classic comes up this Sunday, March twenty-eighth and we caught up with race organizer, Jerome Williams.
James Adderley
“Who all you see as real contenders going in?”
Jerome Williams, Organizer, Jr. Cross Country Cycling Classic
“Well, I see the Mexican that won the Valentine race from Orange Walk; he is one of the foreign threats. On the local scene, we have the two guys, the Chotos from Cayo high road. That’s the other team from Cayo cause there’s two teams; they have an internal battle going on. So this guy Daniel Choto is one of the local favorites. We are still trying to solicit some prizes at this time but everuthing seems to be going according to plan. We have attractive prizes: first prize, six hundred dollars and a trophy; a garland like the big boys. So it should be a really interesting race coming this Sunday.”
Of course, folks we must remind you that another delivery of race for the Garland comes up Thursday eight-thirty p.m. here on Five so stay tuned.
Finally, folks the Third Annual UB Relathon took to the Western Highway yesterday and here on your screen are all of the twenty-seven runners who are at the starting line in Belmopan as they prepare themselves for the fifty mile run to the finish line at the spanking brand new ITVET compound inside Belize City. The females have won their stored event thirteen out of the thirty times it has been presented. And now it’s show time as the first runner takes off. Of course, we must show you the first hand off; after all, it’s a relathon. On the other side the males must run from Cayo to Belize, a distance of some seventy-one miles and they have won this event the other seventeen times it has been staged. Well, this year folks, the boys were stunned by their female counterparts and this expression of joy is unmistakable as all twenty-seven females accompany the baton to the finish line in celebration of this, their fourteenth victory. History will show that in 2010 the guys were fum-fumed. Congratulations ladies.
