FIFA Series: Golden Jaguars impress but lose 1-0 to Cabo Verde

Guyana’s Golden Jaguars produced an inspiring performance against Cabo Verde, but an early lapse meant their first match in the historic FIFA series ended in defeat at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Just two minutes into the game, a Ryan Mendes’ goal proved decisive between the two sides on Thursday.

The African nation, ranked 65th by FIFA, had numerous chances, but goalkeeper Quillan Roberts made several remarkable saves to keep Guyana, ranked 157th, in contention.

The Golden Jaguars, too, had their moments of serious threats on the offensive side, but could not convert them into goals.

Guyana’s next match in the FIFA Series will be against Cambodia on March 26.

These games form part of the first-ever FIFA Series, a new initiative which allows football nations the opportunity to compete against teams outside their confederation.

According to FIFA, “The ultimate objective of the FIFA Series is to allow more international football interaction, making a concrete contribution to global football development. The pilot edition will feature 20 member associations playing in four locations across three continents.”

The initiative was approved by the FIFA Council in 2023 where in every even-numbered year the world governing body will host matches across the six confederations.

Algeria, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka will be the host nations for the first FIFA Series.