Trinidad got a tie, yet it will go down as a stunning upset
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by user DRE-LO
Being a sports purist, I'm not the biggest fan of ties at all. I feel you learn a heck of a more losing than tying. Yet, Trinidad's tie against Sweden in their first ever World Cup Match was nothing short of a monumental upset. Trinidad was literally on the defensive the entire game. Even in the first half when both teams had eleven men, the Swedish were constantly on the attack while the Soca Warriors dodged bullet after bullet. When Avery John was given his walking papers in the early portion of the second half, one would figure that it was only a matter of time before Sweden took advantage of having that extra man.
Not today.
Trinidad's 37 year old goalkeeper Shaka Hislop played the best game of his life in the biggest game of his life. A game that he was immediately thrown into after goalkeeper Kelvin Jack sustained an injury before the game began. Save after Save after Save. He also got tremendous help from Brent Sancho on the defensive end. Sweden had one opportunity after another to try and break through Trinidad's D but to no avail.
At the end of the game even though it was a tie you can clearly see the look of disgust on the faces of the Swedish faithful and the joy and elation on the faces of the Soca warrior nation. One would turn on the TV and would think Trinidad had won 3-0. This matchup was similar to a #1 vs #16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This was supposed to be a routine victory for the powerhouse Sweden en route to the next round. Trinidadian fans predicted unanimously that the Soca Warriors would have lost by two or three goals. So did the Swedish. So did the announcers on ABC sports. So did I.
Wrong.
The Soca Warrior faithful will definitely be partying for the next 48 hours. They are thrilled to be the smallest country to be represented on the world stage for the first time. Thus, they were happy just to be here.
And they are not ready to go home.
Date
Sat 06/10/06, 6:42 pm EST
