Th NMI’s Paul Lizama beats a defender for control of the possession during a game against Guam in the 2024 U20 Men’s Marianas Football Cup at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Saturday.
The NMI’s Markus Toves connects a header to intercept the play during a game against Guam in the 2024 U20 Men’s Marianas Football Cup at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville on Saturday.
THE NMI Men’s National Team blanked Guam, 2-0, Saturday in the first of two games of the 2024 U20 Men’s Marianas Football Cup at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.
The NMI played aggressively with several attempts made within the first 10 minutes of the first half. On the other end, Guam’s defense was their main showcase as each NMI attempt was thwarted and turned into a Guam offense.
But throughout the first 45 minutes, neither team could break the silence.
It was during the extra minute when the NMI managed to draw first blood. Coming off a corner kick, both teams fought to secure the possession, but the attempted headers provided the NMI’s Daniell Pablo with enough time for a wind up to connect the shot and seize the lead before halftime, 1-0.
In the second half, Guam struggled to find a response despite making some substitutions. Defensively, they held their ground but they could not find the back of the net.
The NMI, for their part, maintained their momentum and composure, displaying solid defense and coordinated attacks. Their efforts paid off at the 82nd minute mark as Paul Lizama kept the possession alive after an attempted penalty kick, slipping a quick shot past the goalkeeper to extend the NMI’s lead to 2-0.
Despite Guam’s attempts to mount a comeback, the NMI held firm and rode out the remaining time to secure victory, 2-0.
The results of game 2 will be featured in Variety’s next edition.
