Bermuda 4 Grenada 0

Bermuda made a flying start to their Caribbean Football Union Boys Under-14 Challenge Series qualifying campaign yesterday at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva, Trinidad & Tobago.

The Gombey Warriors led 3-0 at the half, courtesy of a brace from striker Jeon Wolfe and an own goal before winger Zydon Lightbourne-Furbert added another early in the second half to extend the match farther beyond their opponents reach.

“We played very well and I’m trying to motivate and push my team-mates to come back tomorrow and play to our fullest potential,” Bermuda captain Z-ani Jennings told The Royal Gazette. “We are not done yet.”

Two-goal hero Wolfe added: “It’s an honour to represent my country and especially to score on my debut.

“I feel we started the game strong, scoring quickly, and dominated the game.

“The team is coming together quickly and we have potential to go far in this tournament.”

With playmaker Jennings pulling the strings in midfield, Bermuda carved out acres of space in the final third with their precision passing.

Wolfe made the inevitable breakthrough in the sixth minute, when he latched on to Jennings’s delightful pass from inside his own half and held off a defender before calmly stroking the ball into the far bottom corner.

Grenada hardly had time to recover when Wolfe doubled Bermuda’s advantage a minute later, this time collecting Lightbourne-Furbert’s crisp pass from midfield and rounding the goalkeeper before slotting home.

Jennings then had an ambitious, long-range effort comfortably saved and a threatening inswinging corner cleared away, as the rampant Gombey Warriors went in search of more goals.

Grenada failed to test goalkeeper Xavier Thomas-Bassett, but nearly pulled one back when Bermuda defender Kayuri Tucker’s intended headed clearance of a free kick dipped just over his own goal.

Bermuda threatened again at the other end with Jennings and Lightbourne-Furbert both firing wide of the near post.

The Gombey Warriors’ relentless pressure eventually paid off again as a save from Jennings’s shot rebounded off a luckless defender and into the net ― with the goalkeeper grounded ― to make it 3-0 in the 24th minute.

With their opponents now hanging on for dear life, Bermuda kept their foot firmly on the gas.

Amai Harvey had a shot saved, and Lightbourne-Furbert and Wolfe both squandered golden opportunities when scoring seemed easier.

Bermuda picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, with Wolfe seeing his shot cleared away for a corner and then Solomon Salaam blasted over the bar.

Lightbourne-Furbert eventually made amends for his earlier miss when he timed his run to perfection to get on the end of Jennings’s brilliant midfield pass and planted his shot into the far bottom corner.

The Gombey Warriors created more good looks at goal heading down the home stretch, but were unable to add to their tally.

Bermuda’s resounding win did not come without a cost, as central defender Tucker went off after picking up an injury in the closing minutes.