Guadeloupe cruises past Antigua 5-0 in Gold Cup preliminary round at DRV PNK Stadium

Most of the fans who showed up at DRV PNK Stadium Friday afternoon for the opening match of the Gold Cup Prelims huddled in the shade under the overhangs to avoid the scorching temperature, which was 97 degrees at kickoff and felt much hotter.

Guadeloupe overcame the heat and advanced with a 5-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda, a last-minute replacement for Trinidad and Tobago, which found out Monday it got an automatic spot in the group stage after Nicaragua was banned from the tournament for fielding an ineligible player in recent games.

Antigua had to scramble to put together a roster in three days, make travel plans, get visas and had very little time to train for Friday’s match. Coach Mikele Leigertwood and seven of his players are based in England, so it was a long journey.

The Antigua players, nicknamed the “Benna Boys,” were out of season and arrived on Wednesday, some arrived on Thursday and had just one training session.

“It was extremely difficult, to say the least,” said Leigertwood. “We were in a situation where players were in the off-season, so obviously, they’re not really conditioned to play at such a high level. We had issues with people obtaining visas, so the challenge was huge. We found out very late, but of course it was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down and one we knew was going to be a huge challenge. We knew what we were getting ourselves into.”

Guadeloupe dominated from start to finish and held a 2-0 lead by halftime. The first goal came in the 28^th minute when center back Steve Solvet sent a glancing diagonal header past Antigua goalkeeper Nicholas Townsend off a corner kick.

Jordan Tell made it 2-0 from close range off a rebound after Andreaw Gravillon’s free kick clanked off the right post. The Antigua defenders stood and watched as an unmarked Tell got the easy shot.

Things got no easier for Antigua in the second half. Steven Davidas came off the bench and scored in the 65^th minute to stretch the lead to 3-0.

Forward Luther Archimede, also a second-half substitute, was able to run behind the back line and score the fourth Antigua goal when Townsend lost his footing. U.S.-based Archimede, 23, plays for USL club Sacramento Republic, was a New York Red Bulls draft pick and previously played at Syracuse University.

Matthias Phaeton scored the fifth and final goal in the 89^th minute.

“They’re a good side and probably would have caused us challenges with our strongest players out there,” said Leigertwood. “But unconditioned players in such hot conditions was a huge challenge. I had plenty of sleepless nights but pleased we managed to get it over the line to have this opportunity. Some of the boys have never played at this level before, so I am thankful for the opportunity, but not so pleased with the result.”

Guadeloupe coach Jocelyn Angloma acknowledged that his team came in with a big advantage, but also praised his players’ efforts.

“My team had the faith and confidence that we would score the goals we needed, and I am very happy with the result,” Angloma said. “We are feeling confident going into the next round. We knew it would be very difficult for Antigua because they were home and had to come so late, and you could see they had trouble running. But for us, our goal was to win and advance.”

Guadeloupe players were prepared for the heat and that helped on Friday, Angloma said.

“We have players based in Guadeloupe who are accustomed to this heat, and others based in Europe had trouble adjusting, but we got here a week ago and have been preparing,” he said. “So, we were able to hang on and our players had a winning mentality.”

Guadeloupe will play the winner of the Saturday night game between Guyana and Granada.

“I know that physically Granada and Guyana are very strong,” Angloma said. “They are high quality teams, and we will need to prepare for a very difficult, complicated match.”

In the Friday evening preliminary matches, Martinique played St. Lucia and Curacao was scheduled to face St. Kitts and Nevis. The winners of the three matches advance to a second-round of prelims and those winners head to the group stage. Four group stage matches will be held at DRV PNK Stadium June 25-27 featuring Cuba, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, and Panama.