Goalkeeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle made headlines on Saturday, as his Barnet teammates travelled back from Doncaster Rovers, by scoring in Guyana’s 3-2 loss to Suriname.
The Bees keeper, who was making debut for the Golden Jaguars, went up for a free-kick in the 119th minute and looped home a header to drag his side back into the game.
You watch Kai’s debut goal below:
Speaking from Guyana this afternoon, McKenzie-Lyle said: "When I first ran up for the free kick I noticed I was maybe a foot taller than all of the other players.
"The guy who took the free-kick told me he would aim for me and I said I would get my head on it. I did that and it went over the keeper and bounced in!
"It took a couple of seconds to realise I had scored but my immediate thought was I had to spin back and get back in goal to start again and look for the equaliser."
Former Bee and now Guyana captain Sam Cox tried to help the ball home on the line but McKenzie-Lyle is adamant the goal is his.
"I think they have given it to me but he is still trying to claim it!" he laughed.
McKenzie-Lyle is part of Ross Eames’ Development Team and has made just one senior appearance for Barnet. But playing in the tropical conditions of Suriname proved something of a challenge.
"It started off with a thunderstorm in the first half and I was wondering before the game if it would be called off or not," he explained. "But I was told it happens all the time in this part of the world.
"It’s really humid out here and there has not been much rain but when it does rain, it rains a lot and the first half started like that."
He continued: "The first half was quite difficult with the conditions. Caribbean football is very different to English or European football and the referee was quite lenient so that was a factor. We grew into the game I thought I did OK in the end."
Next up for the Golden Jaguars is a home game against Jamaica in Leonara. A win would put Guyana level on points with Suriname in Group 1 with the prize a place at the 2017 Caribbean Cup and Gold Cup.
"It is a big game for us and it should be even more of a test than the last game because they are a strong side," said McKenzie-Lyle. "But we have got them at home so anything could happen.
