Sint Maarten 1 Bermuda 10

Zydon Lightbourne Furbert and Jeon Wolfe continued their prolific form to guide Bermuda to an emphatic win over Sint Maarten in their penultimate Tier II Group C match at the CFU Boys Under-14 Challenge Series in Arima, Trinidad & Tobago, yesterday.

The duo each netted first-half hat-tricks to lead the Gombey Warriors’ charge in another lopsided affair in which they dominated possession and seemingly scored at will against their outclassed opponents.

Captain Z-ani Jennings, Kayuri Tucker, Rufaro Kunze and substitute Cais Rogers were also on target for a technically and tactically superior Bermuda outfit at Larry Gomes Stadium.

The only bright spot for Sint Maarten arrived in the second half when they grabbed a consolation after Bermuda goalkeeper Nuri Latham’s intended pass was intercepted.

Bermuda coach Vashun Blanchette hailed his team’s brilliant performance.

“It was an impressive display and it was pleasing to see things discussed in our team meetings executed in match situations,” he told The Royal Gazette.

Lightbourne Furbert, who also provided as many assists, added: “The team played really well and we played some great football.

“We worked together as a team and even when we scored our first five goals we all told ourselves that we were not satisfied. We had a lion and shark mentality, which led us to score another five goals.

“I think I played fairly well. My control was good, I linked the play well and ended the game with three goals and three assists.”

The winger made the early breakthrough in the first minute of play during Bermuda’s first attack with a thumping finish into the roof of the net after being picked out by midfielder Carter Thomas’s through-pass.

Lightbourne Furbert then grabbed a second in the eighth minute when he latched on to defender Wade’s long diagonal pass and drilled the ball past the exposed goalkeeper.

Defender Tucker then got in on the scoring act two minutes when he headed in Jennings’s free kick, already putting the game out of Sint Maarten’s reach.

Wolfe finally got his name on the scoresheet in the fourteenth minute to make amends for two earlier glaring misses right in front of the goal, the striker running on to Lightbourne Furbert’s delightful through-pass and firing home from a slight angle inside the area.

He then added another, his seventh of the tournament, two minutes later with another composed finish after being released by playmaker Jennings, who put in another solid shift in the middle of the park.

Wolfe completed his hat-trick after squandering another golden opportunity in the 27th minute when he tapped in Lightbourne Furbert’s pull-back from close range to make it 6-0.

Lightbourne Furbert then completed his hat-trick five minutes later when headed in Jennings’s corner for his sixth goal of the tournament.

Jennings, who was at the heart of most of Bermuda’s attacks, buried a left-footed shot from the edge of the box just before half-time to rub more salt in the opposition’s wound.

Sint Maarten dodged a bullet right at the start of the second half when Kunze’s penalty kick was saved after being hacked down in the area as he raced towards goals.

However, the winger made amends shortly after when he dispatched Lightbourne Furbert’s through-pass from the left side of the box.

Sint Maarten pulled one back against the run of play in the 46th minute, the first conceded by Bermuda at the tournament, courtesy of Latham’s blunder.

But the joy proved short-lived for Bermuda’s opponents as substitute Rogers dispatched Kunze’s pull-back from the left side of the area to cap a ruthless display of attacking football.

The Gombey Warriors top the group and require only a point in their final group match against St Lucia at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva today at noon to secure their place in the knockout stage of the competition.

“Our next game provides another opportunity to implement our ideas and demonstrate a level of consistency,” Blanchette said.

“We will approach the match with the same humility as our previous games and look to perform well.”