By Anmar Goodridge-Boyce
Tajio James scored the winner three minutes from time as Barbados senior men’s national football team staged an incredible comeback to beat Antigua & Barbuda 2-1 in their final Concacaf Nations League match.
The Tridents looked to be heading towards a draw and ending the campaign on a winless note, but teenage sensation James volleyed home in the 87th minute to spark wild celebrations from the bench and a small section of away fans at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, St John’s on Sunday.
Newly appointed head coach Orlando da Costa was also reduced to tears on the touchline as James’ strike meant Barbados registered their first victory since a 1-0 win over Anguilla in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2021.
The new-look Barbados team was without captain Jomo Harris and centre-back Mario Williams who were suspended, paving the way for left-back Andre Applewhaite to wear the armband.
Barbados started brightly, with playmaker Omani Leacock sliding through Ryan Trotman who sent a tame shot into the arms of Antigua & Barbuda’s goal keeper Nicholas Townsend in the opening 20 minutes.
Barbados dominated and took charge of the encounter but could not score in a first-half in which they created several goal-scoring opportunities.
Barbadian goal keeper Liam Brathwaite made important saves to deny Thomas-James Bramble and Quinton Griffith, but it was the hosts who broke the deadlock in the 31st minute compliments a set piece.
Against the run of play, Antigua & Barbuda struck first as Myles Weston scored from a corner kick after Barbados failed to avert danger in the box and Brathwaite scrambled to save the delivery which eventually went in off the post.
Ellerton midfielder Shaquan Clarke could have halved the deficit a few seconds later but his right-footed curler from distance was pushed onto the crossbar by Townsend who made an excellent save to keep the score 1-0 at the half-time break.
Nine minutes after the resumption, Da Costa had seen enough and made a triple substitution, replacing Leacock, Nadre Butcher and the hard-working Shaquan Collymore with Curtis Jemmet-Hutson, Akeem Chandler and Elijah Downey.
The tempo of the match changed drastically, as Barbados began to smell blood and came forward with more confidence and belief.
It was Georgia-based forward Thierry Gale who leveled the score with a magnificent equalizer.
It was box office stuff, as Gale produced a moment of brilliance and showed why he is one of the island’s most exciting professionals when he danced through the Antiguan backline, while playing a give and go with Trotman in the process before curling the ball into the bottom left corner. It was a goal worth the entrance fee.
Yet, just as the match appeared to be ending in a stalemate, James once again came to the rescue after latching onto a perfect long ball from centre-half Shane Codrington and wrapping his right-foot around the ball from inside the box to beat the advancing Townsend.
James’ winner, his fourth goal in five matches, ended Barbados’ run of 18 matches without a victory and also dashed Antigua & Barbuda’s dream of playing in the Concacaf Gold Cup.
The 19-year-old striker scored the most goals for Barbados during last’s month three-match international friendly series against Grenada and most fans were surprised when his name was listed among the substitutes versus Cuba and Antigua & Barbuda.
It looked like a familiar ending for Barbados, but James who plays for Feather College in the United States and is a product of the Pine, St Michael, had other plans.
James tucked away smartly, and immediately ran to the bench to celebrate with his teammates as his goal cemented a victory which has lifted the spirit of football in Barbados.
