Bermuda 0 Guyana 1
The Estadio Francisco Morazán in San Pedro Sula played host to a frustrating afternoon for Bermuda’s young Gombey Warriors as they fell 1-0 to Guyana in their opening Group H match.
Despite commanding the vast majority of possession and outshooting their opponents by a significant margin, Bermuda suffered their third consecutive defeat on the opening matchday of a Group Stage when facing Caribbean opposition.
Bermuda Starting Line-Up: - Nuri Latham, Amir Weller, Milliunh Hill, Kayuri Tucker, Na'im Zuill, Mateus Amaral, Amir Brangman, Deacon Wade, Z'Ani Jennings (Kaiyuri Albuoy 70th), Tyler Steede (Shiia Davis 82nd), Zydon Lightbourne (Jčon Wolfe 46th) - Bermuda Substitutes: - Ethan Adderley, Rylan Desilva, Norico Furbert, Curtis Jackson, Joshua Smith, Shiloh Waite, Roman Wilkinson - Guyana Starting Line-Up: - Nyall Kendall, Joshua Morris, Tamer Unver, Maximus Cato, Malachi Patrick, Nyron Barrow (Jaden Nelson 77th), Jerimiah Welcome, Jaden Tasher (Levi Stephen 46th), Mark Glasgow, Micaiah De Freitas (Aaden Arthur 81st), Matthew Stewart (David Williams 87th) - Guyana Substitutes - Zack Brief, Darius Chester, Flavio Larose, Qushon Lewis, Trayvon Smith, Tyrell Walcott
The match, which marked the first-ever meeting between these two nations in the Under-17 Qualifiers, began with Bermuda firmly in control. Deacon Wade registered the first significant attempt just one minute into the contest, though his long-range effort was blocked. Bermuda continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, forcing Guyana goalkeeper Nyall Kendall into a series of vital saves. Tyler Steede was the first to test Kendall’s reflexes in the 23rd minute, followed by a spectacular top-corner save to deny a long-range strike from Na'im Zuill shortly before the interval.
The tactical and physical battle remained scoreless at the break, prompted by several missed opportunities from set-pieces and a resilient Guyanese defense that limited Guyana's own chances to wide-drifting efforts from Micaiah De Freitas and Nyron Barrow.
Bermuda looked to spark their offense in the second half by introducing Jčon Wolfe, and the substitute immediately became a focal point. Wolfe helped set up Mateus Amaral for a 61st-minute strike that was parried away, but the momentum shifted decisively five minutes later. Against the run of play, Guyana broke the deadlock when Mark Glasgow found Matthew Stewart, who unleashed a clinical left-footed shot into the top corner from the left side of the box.
The final twenty-five minutes saw Bermuda launch an all-out assault on the Guyanese goal. Zuill and Wolfe both forced low saves from the inspired Kendall, while Amaral saw a diving effort from a tight angle kept out as the clock ticked down. Even in six minutes of frantic added time, Bermuda could not find a way through; Wolfe saw a close-range strike gathered by Kendall before Amara’s final long-range blast was blocked.
The final statistics told a story of dominance without reward for Bermuda, who controlled 63.2% of the possession and registered 20 shots compared to just 9 from Guyana. Crucially, while Bermuda managed 9 shots on target, Guyana made their solitary shot on target count to secure all three points.
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