2 months ago
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IN A contest which lacked the usual pace from the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica got the better of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) 1-0 at the A.O. Shirley Recreational Ground to book their spot in the third round of the Concacaf World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ).
Jamaica Premier League’s (JPL) golden boot winner Warner Brown scored the all-important goal as they continued their perfect run in World Cup qualifying action.
The Boyz seemed to have rarely moved out of first gear as they controlled much of the proceedings on the day.
Brown would open the scoring in the 17th minute when he rose highest in the box to head home a free kick delivered from the boot of Demarai Gray.
Despite the win and a perfect record in qualifiers, Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren was not a happy camper.
“We know inside the dressing room we can be better and we need to be better next week against Guatemala,” he said.
According to the head coach, the Reggae Boyz did not follow through on maintaining the momentum they had built from their performances in the Unity Cup a week ago.
“The biggest disappointment for me was that we never followed the performance that we had last week,” said McClaren.
The Jamaicans beat Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 before coming from behind twice to tie up the final against Nigeria 2-2 during the Unity Cup, eventually losing 5-4 on penalties and McClaren believes though the challenge of the BVI is different, the Reggae Boyz could still have come away with a better result.
“These games are never pretty. Everybody thinks we should beat them five or six, and we had the chances to do that but our finishing was very, very poor. And we need to improve that as well.”
The goal would be the only real action of the first half as the Boyz seemed content to close out the opening stanza without a second goal.
The restart would be much of the same as the Jamaicans took control of the match without any real attacking intent.
In the 52nd minute, Gray would split the BVI defence with a through pass that found Kaheim Dixon in space.
However, Dixon would slip at the decisive moment, sending a tame effort into the waiting palms of the goalkeeper.
The introduction of Leon Bailey in the second half would bring some spark to the team’s attack and he came close to an assist just minutes after coming on to the field.
Collecting a pass out wide, Bailey rolled the ball into the path of Dexter Lembikisa whose curling effort was wide of the mark.
Romario Williams, another second-half substitute, came closest to adding to Jamaica’s lead, letting loose a missile from outside the box that crashed off the goalkeeper’s left upright.
Williams would come close again when he was set free with a pass from Gray in the 78th minute, but his side-footed effort went just wide, much to the chagrin of Bailey, who was arriving in a more central position.
The win means Jamaica will finish at least second in Group E with only a top-of-the-table clash against Guatemala left to play.
The two are level on points with group leaders Guatemala, who had booked their spots into the next round with a 4-2 win over the Dominican Republic on Friday, have a far superior goal difference.
The BVI’s World Cup qualifying campaign has come to an end without a win.
Jamaica will close out Group E action at the National Stadium on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The third round of qualifiers will see 12 teams being placed in three groups of four, with the winner from each group qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The group stage draw for the third round is set for June 12.
English (US) ·