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Hallgrimsson thinks vindication
June 29, 2023
Jamaica's 17-year-old wonder kid Dujuan 'Whisper' Richards scored his first international goal on his Gold Cup debut yesterday, as the Reggae Boyz dumped Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 in their Group A match at City Park for Heimir Hallgrimsson's his first win as coach.
Demarai Gray netted a double in the 14th and 29th minutes, and Leon Bailey added another in the 17th to give the Reggae Boyz a 3-0 lead at the break.
Andre Rampersad pulled a goal back for Trinidad four minutes into the second half, however, a huge highlight of the game was Richards' deflected shot in added time, which put the game out of sight.
Hallgrimsson felt vindicated in his decision to name the teenager who became the youngest scorer in the tournament.
"Normally, I do not like to talk about individual players, but we (coaching staff) were criticised for picking the kid, and he only needed 10 minutes to score a goal, the youngest scorer in the history of the Gold Cup, so that shows why we selected him," Hallgrimsson commented after the game.
"I have to admit that when he took the shot, I was, why is he shooting from this range, but he scored from it. He is the kind of guy that all teams need players like."
Hallgrimsson added that though the youngster still has room for development, he is still talented.
"Not even he knows what he is going to do. The opponents don't know what he is going to do. He is lethal. He has a lot to learn, but he still knows a lot and can do a lot," Hallgrimsson said.
Gray broke the deadlock in the 14th minute when he slotted home Bailey's pass.
Three minutes later, Bailey beat the offside trap and fired past Nicklas Frenderup to make it 2-0.
Gray added his second and Jamaica's third in the 29th minute when Michail Antonio set up the Everton winger, Gray, to score from six yards.
Four minutes into the second half, Rampersad turned in a cheeky back heel to cut the deficit.
Richards entered the fold with nine minutes to spare, and although he only had a few touches, his final was most devastating, as his shot from 25 yards deflected off a Trinidad defender and past Frenderup in goal.
