Yorke’s Soca Warriors beaten 3-1 in Saudi friendly

In their international friendly match at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, T&T’s Soca Warriors were beaten 3-1 by Saudi Arabia.

The game was the country’s fourth meeting between the teams and the first under new coach Dwight Yorke, who took over from Angus Eve just last month.

The Warriors had lost to the Saudis twice before and were playing against them for the third time when, in the 13th minute of the game, Saleh Alshehri scored a penalty kick after Ross Russell Jr. seemed to have handled the ball in the penalty box. The referee, Mohammed Alatawi, awarded a penalty kick to the Saudi team, giving them an advantage in the game.

The Warriors were not at their best in defense due to several key players missing. However, their attacks improved, and despite the Saudi Arabian team being more prepared, they proved dangerous on the day.

Abdullah Alhamddan put the home team 2-0 up in the 53rd minute. Warriors’ Isaiah Lee had a chance to reduce the margin in the 71st minute, but his shot was saved by the Saudi goalkeeper.

Three minutes later (74th minute), Jariel Arthur tried to steer a neatly floated ball from a right-side free kick over the goalie for the Warriors, but the Saudi Arabian keeper held on firmly.

Reon Moore eventually got the ball into the Saudi Arabia net, but the referee waved offside. Things got worse when Nasser Aldosari scored an 88th-minute goal for a 3-0 scoreline.

Jamal Jack then netted a goal after the 90th minute for the Warriors, changing the score to 3-1.

In a post-match interview, Yorke said, “I have to say that despite the defeat, I was delighted with the team’s attitude and performance.”

“There were so many positives, and, yes, there were some negatives too, but I looked for attitude and positive reasons to try and build this team in a much stronger place, and everyone knows what we’re trying to achieve.”