GRENADA men's football team coach Shalrie Joseph expressed disappointment after his team blew a two-goal lead against TT in their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier which ended in a 2-2 draw at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo on June 5.
The visiting Grenada team jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 28 minutes thanks to a double from their sturdy Stockport County FC midfielder Myles Hippolyte.
Joseph's team missed a great opportunity to possibly put the game to bed in the first half, though, when Dutch-based winger Darius Johnson was denied from point-blank range by custodian Denzil Smith in the 41st minute after breaching the Soca Warriors' defence with ease.
Grenada looked in cruise control, but Soca Warriors attacker Ryan Telfer pulled back a goal in the 43rd minute, before turning provider for Reon Moore's clinical equaliser in the second half.
"I'm a little bit disappointed. I thought we had the game in hand. I thought we did really well on both sides of the ball," Joseph said, at the post-match conference. "Unfortunately, we gave up two goals."
Joseph, a former Grenada international and Major League Soccer player, said his defenders lacked game awareness by giving their opponents life so close to the halftime interval.
"You have to give (TT) credit. They kept pushing. It was an open wide game. And I want to give both countries credit for a fun, attacking football game."
Joseph, who had a previous coaching stint with Grenada from 2018-2020, said he urged his team to have a killer mindset for the clash with their Caribbean neighbours.
"Nothing surprised me about the way we played in the first half. We wanted to be aggressive. Even though we were on the road, it's my mentality and it's the mentality of the team and to the country. It's something we try to instill in those players.
"I thought we had a height advantage and physically I thought we could dominate the ball."
Grenada certainly showed superior physicality for most of the contest, and they constantly disrupted the Soca Warriors' midfield play - even forcing opposing coach Angus Eve into a reshuffle at the half.
"Our mentality is they have to play through us or they will go long. I didn't believe they had the quality in midfield to play through us and we did a great job of keeping it compact and keeping it tight, and not allowing them to play through midfield," Joseph said. "And once you start doing that, then you know they will have to go long."
Joseph said willpower and determination were key to his team's performance on enemy territory. And though, he's not totally pleased with a point, it will suffice for now.
"It's a huge point on the road and being against one of the best countries in the Caribbean - probably ranked second in my eyes behind Jamaica. For Grenada, where we're ranked by Fifa (174th), it's huge for us and our players and what we have been able to achieve."
On June 9, Grenada will host group B favourites Costa Rica at the Kirani James National Stadium.
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