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Boyz beat Honduras to claim maximum points
Boyz beat Honduras to claim maximum points
Through to Sunday quarter-final
IAN BURNETT @ THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP in the USA
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
IAN BURNETT @ THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP in the USA
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
New Jersey, USA – The Reggae Boyz continued their impressive run at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament when the toppled Honduras 1-0 to claim Group B honours here at the Red Bull Arena last night.
The Boyz ended group play with maximum nine points, five ahead of Honduras and Guatemala, while Grenada suffered yet another huge 4-0 defeat in the first game of the double against Guatemala, to finish pointless.
Jamaica forward Ryan Johnson, right, and teammate Adrian Reid celebrate after Johnson scored a goal against Honduras during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament soccer game at Red Bull Arena, Monday, June 13, 2011 in Harrison, N.J.
Honduras claimed second place based on superior goal difference – +5 to Guatemala’s + 2
In one of the Reggae Boyz’s best first-half displays in many moons, Ryan Johnson was the man on target in the 36th minute. It was the first time that the Boyz were recording three wins in the group phase of the tournament, and their goal tally of seven equalled their best ever output in 2005.
The result means that Jamaica will now journey to Washington DC to face the runners-up in Group C on Sunday in the quarter-finals.
That group will be decided today when USA play Guadeloupe and Panama oppose Canada. Panama currently lead the group with six points, three ahead of USA and Canada, with Guadeloupe at the bottom without a point.
Jamaica signalled their intention immediately the referee started play when Dane Richards sped past his marker on the left and into the penalty area.
He twisted and turned his way into an opening before laying off the ball for Damion Williams on the edge of the penalty box, but the defensive midfielder dragged his right-footer well wide and failed to trouble goalkeeper Noel Valladares.
Shortly after, Richards, who knows the pitch very well, having played his club football here, broke free of the defence, but he could not beat Valladares, who blocked for a corner.
The Reggae Boyz were exuding tremendous confidence, from defence, through midfield and on to the front line, and Johnson was presented with another early chance when Williams dispossessed a midfielder midway the half and set up the San Jose striker, who failed to get enough effort on his shot.
The 25,000 capacity crowd was being treated to a sumptuous display by the Boyz, and approaching the midway stage of the first half the Jamaicans almost opened the scoring.
Richards raced into the box hotly pursued by the burly Osman Chavez, and though the defender appeared to have shoved him in the back, the referee waved off his appeals for a penalty.
Keammar ‘Dada’ Daley and Jevaughn Watson were at the heart of most of the impressive build-ups with silky, smooth one-touch passes, and they combined to slip a ball behind for Richards, on the right. The New York Red Bull winger raced into the box at Valladares, but his cheeky chip beat the goalkeeper before being blocked by a retreating defender, and no green-and-black coloured player was able to turn home.
The little Jamaicans were unrelenting and shortly after they duly went ahead.
The midfield was in total control and after combining well, Johnson created a bit of magic. He firstly battled hard to gain possession of a loose ball in the middle of Honduras’s half, dribbled forward before unleashing a tremendous left-footer, which eluded Valladores, crashed against the horizontal before bouncing off the beaten and grounded goalkeeper on its way into the goal, much to the joy of the many Jamaicans clad in the bright green and gold.
It was just rewards for the entertaining and penetrative play by the Reggae Boyz. However, despite creating some chances in the second period, they couldn’t quite match the dizzying heights of the first half.
The Boyz continued where they left off in the first half with Omar Daley flashing a right-footer narrowly wide of the mark after a right-sided corner was partially cleared.
The Central Americans appeared more ambitious and pressed forward for an equaliser. But they were hit on the counter when Keammar Daley switched play from deep left to his namesake on the right. Omar held up play well, returned the pass to Keammar, whose shot sailed just wide of Valladores’s frame.
Richards, who proved a menace all night, combined well with Phillips on the left as they traded passes inside the box, but after creating an opening, Richards saw his blast blocked.
As Honduras pushed forward, the Boyz proved extremely dangerous on the counter, and the Hondurans were caught out yet again when Richards played Johnson free slightly on the left. He raced into the box, but was hacked down by the bulldozing Chavez. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty, but Chavez might have escaped an ejection, having been earlier cautioned for a foul on the same player shortly after the restart.
The game was held up temporarily as bottles were thrown onto the pitch at the end where the penalty was awarded.
Johnson stepped up for the penalty, but Valladores dove low to his left to save expertly.
Honduras then had the better of the exchanges as the Boyz, for once, appeared ragged.
Inside the last quarter, Jamaican goalkeeper Dwayne Miller, who had little to do until then, dove full-stretch to get a firm hand to Victor Bernardez’s pile-driver from 30 yards, and despite a number of cautions being thrown about, the Boyz held firm for the win, and now head coach Theodore Whitmore might be having headaches in selecting his team for the quarter-final.
Teams: Jamaica – Dwayne Miller, Jason Morrison, Jermaine Taylor, Adrian Reid, Damion Williams, Demar Phillips, Omar Daley (Eric Vernan 85th), Keammar Daley, Jevaughn Watson (Navion Boyd 89th), Dane Richards, Ryan Johnson (Luton Shelton 82nd).
Booked: Watson (77th), Phillips (81st), Keammar Daley (87th), Boyd (90th)
Subs not used: Duwayne Kerr, Shavar Thomas, Richard Edwards, Rudolph Austin.
Honduras – Noel Valladares, Osman Chavez, Victor Bernardez, Emil Martinez (Walter Martinez 46th), Jerry Bengston, Alfredo Mejia, Carlo Costly (Ramon Nunez 26th), Oscar Garcia, Mauricio Sabillon, Juan Garcia, Edder Delgado (Javier Portillo 76th).
Booked: Chavez (49th), Mejia (55th)
Subs not used: Donis Escober, Johnny Leveron, Roger Espinoza, Brayan Beckeles.