Latest update April 8th, 2025 7:13 AM
Golden Jaguars hunting World Cup qualifier win against Belize tonight
Goalkeeper Quillan Roberts was exceptional against Panama.
By Rawle Toney
Kaieteur Sports – The Golden Jaguars are set to roar today against Belize in Barbados at 6:00 pm, in what Coach Jamaal Shabazz describes as a crucial encounter.
“Each game brings its own challenges, and different match-ups,” Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz told Kaieteur News exclusively on the eve of his side’s important match against the Central American team.
“Belize and Guyana has history and it’s important that we play with intensity and desire,” Shabazz said, pointing to their last meeting in March 2019 at the National Track and Field Centre, where Neil Danns and Emmery Welshman scored to secure a 2-1 victory for the Golden Jaguars, helping them qualify for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time.
Their first meeting, an international friendly in 2002, saw Belize emerge victorious with a 3-1 win.
Shabazz and the Golden Jaguars began their 2026 World Cup qualifier campaign with a defeat against Panama in Panama City on June 6, following back-to-back second-half goals from Cristian Martínez and José Luis Rodríguez.
FLASHBACK! Part of the action between Guyana and Panama during their 2026 World Cup qualifier match on June 6 in Panama City.
However, the Golden Jaguars are determined to bounce back, especially after Nicaragua’s 4-0 victory over Belize on Saturday.
“We have already put Panama behind us and the lads are focused on Belize,” Shabazz said, “at this point, it is the most important game of our lives.”
In the game against Panama, Coach Jamaal Shabazz started with Chicago Fire FC forward Omari Glasgow up front, alongside Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Stephens Duke-McKenna, Elliot Bonds, and Nathan Ferguson.
Defensively, Shabazz relied on Liam Gordon, Terrence Vancooten, Jalen Jones, Curtez Kellman, and Leo Lovell. Quillan Williams stood between the uprights.
Kadell Daniel, Kelsey Benjamin, and Deon Moore were the substitutes used in the game, but Shabazz may opt to include Seattle Sounders forward Osaze De Rosario and Terique Mohammed in the line-up today.
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