Hayward Officiates Saudi Arabia vs Puerto Rico
Bermudian assistant referee Clinton Hayward was part of the officiating crew for Saudi Arabia’s 3-0 win over Puerto Rico in an international friendly at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, a match disrupted by a lengthy weather delay.
Hayward was listed as Assistant Referee 2, with Reon Radix serving as referee, Zachari Zeegelaar as Assistant Referee 1 and Lorenzo Hernandez as fourth official.
Reuters reported that, “The game was halted in the 21st minute as thunderstorms and lightning forced players off the pitch and spectators to seek shelter, in accordance with U.S. safety protocols that suspend play when storms are detected within an 8-mile radius. Repeated lightning strikes led to multiple resets of the mandatory 30-minute delay before play eventually resumed.”
After the match resumed, Saudi Arabia took the lead just before halftime when Sultan Mandash capitalised on a defensive mistake to make it 1-0. Abdullah Al Hamdan doubled the lead in the 50th minute, scoring after Saudi Arabia won possession high up the pitch and he finished past the advancing goalkeeper.
Saudi Arabia sealed the result in the 88th minute when captain Salem Al Dawsari scored after a solo run through the Puerto Rico defence to complete the 3-0 victory.
