March 24 – Jamaica are the third best team in the Concacaf. With a 1-0 win over Panama in the Nations League third place play-off, the Reggae Boyz after are climbing the regional hierarchy.
Canada had been the third best while Panama were staking their claim for that spot, but a weakened Jamaican team without four key English Premier League players had more than enough to dispatch them with a Dexter Lembikiska goal at the end of the first half.
Jamaica had qualified for the final with late goals to equalise their quarter final with Canada, going through on penalties.
Without West Ham forward Michail Antonio, Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock, Luton Town’s Amari’i Bell and Aston Villa’s in-form winger Leon Bailey (dropped for breaking curfew at the last camp), Jamaica had something of a patched up look about them.
It proved to be a good look. They were seconds away from beating the US in the semi-final who equalised with the last play of the match in added time before going on to conceded twice more in extra time.
They turned around from that predominantly defensive effort to a much more fluid and attacking performance against a full strength Panama.
Panama will be disappointed. A lacklustre first half was followed up by a stronger second half but it was not enough to unlock Jamaica’s defence and get past the outstanding Andre Blake in goal.
It also didn’t match the form that saw them reach the final of the Gold Cup last summer where they lost to Mexico 1-0. They lost to Mexico 3-0 in the semi-final last Thursday.
It is not all disaster, they had good passages of play but Christiansen will need a reset going into the first 2026 World Cup qualifiers ahead of the Copa America in the summer. The best that can be said is that they will have better weeks, but they do need to find a way of converting opportunities into goals.
Jamaican coach Heimir Hallgrimsson made three changes from the team that lost 3-1 to the USA. Strikers Demarai Gray and Shamar…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/03/25/jamaica-beat-panama-secure-third-place-cnl-finals/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-03-25 00:39:55
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