Hat-trick for Jones as Golden Jaguars stun Guatemala 3-2

Guyana stunned Guatemala 3-2 on the back a superb hat-trick from Isaiah Jones in the Concacaf Gold Cup Prelim on Friday night in Barbados.

In their ‘home’ game at the Barbados Technical Centre, the Guyanese held their nerves to pull off a memorable win.

For context, Guatemala is ranked ninth in Concacaf, Guyana 19th.

Jones opened the scoring in the ninth minute, but Jose Martinez levelled for Guatemala in the 29^th.

Jones then pushed Guyana into the lead by the half-time break, netting in the 36^th minute.

Upon resumption, it became 3-1 Guyana when Jones completed his hat-trick in the 56^th minute.

J. Pinto reduced the margin of defeat for Guatemala with a penalty strike in the 80^th.

Guatemala’s strong record in the Gold Cup, having missed only six editions since 1963, highlights the challenge Guyana faced.

The Golden Jaguars, who qualified for the main draw in 2019, have struggled to progress beyond the preliminary rounds since.

Recent encounters between the two sides have favoured Guatemala, with victories of 3-1 in the Nations League and 4-0 in the 2021 Gold Cup preliminaries.

The two nations meet again on Tuesday (March 25), this time in Guatemala, from 20:30h.

The aggregate winner will advance to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage.