Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Haitian coach delighted after victory in Digicel Caribbean Cup group opener

Friday, September 29, 2006

by: Gary Smith
Caribbean Net News Sports Correspondent
Email: gary@caribbeannetnews.com

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Haitian head coach Carlo Marcelin was full of praise for his team after they hammered St Vincent and the Grenadines 4-0 in their opening Digicel Caribbean Cup Group D match at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica on Wednesday night.

Goals from Josue Mayard, Jean-Baptiste Fritzon, Jean-Jacques Pierre and Marc Herold Gracien made sure the Haitians collected all three-points and joined host Jamaica, who also blanked St Lucia 4-0 at the top of the group.

"We are quite pleased with this result," Marcelin told reporters in Kingston after the match. "We came here to win today, they were tough tactically in the first half, but we managed to break them down in the second."

"We had a couple of new players in the squad and I think it was difficult at first but we adjusted well," he said.

Mayard put the Haitians ahead with an excellent right-footer from just outside of the penalty area in the 18th minute. After the goal both teams settled down but found it hard to create openings and the Haiti side went into the break 1-0.

After the interval the Haitian team came out with more force and dominated in possessions on their way to their thrilling victory. Striker Fritzon extended the lead nine-minutes in the second half when he finished off a cross from Richard Bruny from the left wing.

Jean-Jacques Pierre blazed home a powerful in the 79th minute before Gracien got the fourth with a strike two minutes into time added on.

Disappointed after the game St Vincent and the Grenadines coach Vranes Zoran said the victors simply had it better on the pitch.

"Haiti was just better than us today. I think we matched up pretty well in the first half but we had a bit of bad luck in the second half and after the second goal the game was pretty much over," Zoran said.

"Tactically, I think we had prepared well for Haiti. However, the players just were not able to execute, we just were not good enough today," he added.

In the other Group D game on the day, two goals from Kevin Lamey and one each from Wilfred Smith and Demar Phillips gave Jamaica a 4-0 win over St Lucia.

In a Group F match at the Lionel Roberts Stadium in St Thomas, host US Virgin Islands were thrashed 6-0 by Bermuda.

Print Page