Bermuda 1 St Lucia 0

Captain Z-ani Jennings’s late winner proved to be the difference against a stubborn St Lucia at the CFU Boys Under-14 Challenge Series in Couva, Trinidad & Tobago.

With the game seemingly drifting towards an inevitable stalemate at the Ato Boldon Stadium, the talented midfielder took possession in open play before unleashing a thunderous left-footed strike from 25 yards that flew past the hapless goalkeeper to finally break St Lucia’s resistance.

The hard-fought victory saw the Gombey Warriors finish top of Tier II Group C and clinch their spot in the semi-finals against an opponent yet to be determined.

Vashun Blanchette, the Bermuda coach, cited his players’ resilience as the key to success in their final group match.

“Today’s performance showed other qualities within the team,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“We controlled majority of the game without necessarily being at our best, but showed resilience to secure a late result.

“This was more impressive, given we have played four games in four consecutive days in very hot conditions.

“In addition to their football abilities, there’s a strong camaraderie within the group both on and off the field. The boys genuinely enjoy each other’s company and there is a definite sense of brotherhood.”

While happy with the progress his players have made, Blanchette emphasised there is always room for growth.

“Coming into these tournaments you often don’t know what to expect from the opposition,” he added. “However, from our perspective, we have performed at the expected level while seeking to continuously improve.

Jennings reckons the best is yet to come from Bermuda.

“We are excited to move forward,” he said. “But I believe that we can play better, and we will treat our next game and every game that we play like it is the final.”

Looking ahead to Friday’s semi-final, Blanchette said: “We will continue to focus on our processes and prepare as well as possible to produce a good performance in the semi-final.

“Naturally, morale is very high at the moment but not at the expense of complacency. This group of players are ambitious and very motivated.”

Bermuda made an inauspicious start to the match when casual defending deep in their own half nearly led to their opponents grasping the lead immediately from the opening kick-off.

Having survived that, they eventually found their rhythm and, with Jennings once again pulling the strings in the middle of the part, began creating openings at the other end.

Solomon Salaam blew a golden opportunity when left with the simple task of tapping in Jennings’s inswinging corner at the back post, while winger Zydon Lightbourne Furbert blazed Adam Barritt’s short pass over the bar from just inside of the area.

Bermuda’s leading scorer, Jeon Wolfe, made a quiet start to the game but finally burst into life with a right-footed shot that brought a fine save from the St Lucia goalkeeper.

Jennings then won a free kick in a dangerous area just outside of the box but was unable to capitalise as his tame effort was comfortably saved to leave the teams deadlocked at the half.

St Lucia also caused a bit of anxiety early after the restart with Bermuda substitute goalkeeper Xavier Thomas-Bassett rushing off his line to gather the ball off the boot of an opposing player.

Despite dominating possession, clear-cut chances were few and far between for the Gombey Warriors in the second half, the best falling to Wolfe, whose poor first touch to Lightbourne Furbert’s pass right in front of goal allowed the St Lucian defence to clear their lines and avert the danger.

But just when it seemed as though Blanchette’s team would have to settle for a share of the spoils, Jennings, who was a thorn throughout with his vision and creativity, came up a spectacular winner from out of nowhere to preserve Bermuda’s perfect record.