WARRIORS NOT OUT

Until those two goals came in the last eight minutes of the match, the team from the smallest country in the World Cup had held their own against the team from one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Indeed, we must bear in mind that England’s 2-nil victory was still three to four less than the predictions made by the football pundits, and certainly a bucking of the odds.

The support that the Warriors have won from other nations was also demonstrated by the fact that the number of red jerseys was far greater than the number of West Indians in the stadium. And those supporters, disappointed though they may have been at the final result, would not have been disappointed by the showing of the team from the hitherto unknown nation of Trinidad and Tobago.

For one hour and 22 minutes, the Soca Warriors showed that, as a team, they were on par with England. There was no sign that the two teams were unevenly ranked, with possession of the ball and passing accuracy demonstrating an equal distribution of skills.

The Warriors even gave England a few scares with their goal shots, although not the shock for which we had hoped.

But even more impressive was the overall demeanour of the Warriors, who played with restrained confidence, never showing that they were in any way intimidated by an opposing team that had many of their heroes playing in it.

Indeed, the first goal scored did not come about because of superior team play on the part of England, but because of the superior attributes of two of its key players: the extraordinary passing accuracy of David Beckham and the extraordinary height of striker Peter Crouch, whose six feet seven inches allowed a header that marker Brent Sancho could not block and which passed just above the reach of goal-keeper Shaka Hislop.

Even after that, the Warriors continued playing with desperate energy, hoping to equalise in the remaining seven minutes, and it was that very aggression which allowed English player Steven Gerard the opening to kick a powerful cross right to the upper corner of the goal. But, as we said in our editorial yesterday, all the people of Trinidad and Tobago expected was that the Warriors would give of their best, and this was what they did yesterday.

Indeed, having faced the powerful England team and given so good an account of themselves for 82 minutes, we hope that the Warriors will meet Paraguay next Tuesday with even more confidence and competence.

We will have to win that match in order to go into the second round, and Paraguay proved themselves more than a match for England who beat Paraguay only on an own goal by a Paraguay player.

But it is the character of Caribbean sportsmen to draw on unexpected reserves of determination and talent. So we remain proud of our Warriors, and we await with eager anticipation their performance next Tuesday.

No matter what happens, we know they will not disappoint, for they have shown that they have the talent and the character to stand as equals on the World Cup stage with every other team.