MIAMI, Florida – Jamaica mounted a stunning comeback and booked their place in Concacaf Nations League semi-finals with a 3-2 win against hosts Canada in the second leg of their League A quarter-final on Tuesday.
Shamar Nicholson was the hero for the Jamaicans, scoring a second-half brace, and the Reggae Boyz logged their first win on Canadian soil to tie the two-legged, quarterfinal series 4-4 on aggregate and earn a place in the final four on the away-goals tie-breaker rule.
A hat-trick from Ricardo Rivera to anchor hosts Puerto Rico to a 6-1 win against the Bahamas, a brace from Randy Gentes to set up St Martin for a 4-0 win against hosts Bonaire, and a slew of other one-sided contests, led by Guyana drubbing Antigua & Barbuda 6-0, proliferated the final day of group play in the tournament.
AT BMO FIELD: Jamaica fell behind after 25 minutes when Alphonso Davies met a cross from the left and fired a shot that Reggae Boyz net-minder Andre Blake initially deflected, but the ball spun backward into net.
It was the only item that separated the two teams at half-time before the action intensified in the second period with a shoot-out between the two teams.
Nicholson found the equaliser in the 63rd minute when he a giveaway in the Canadian half led to a quick break from the Jamaicans, and he followed up to put the visitors in front when he guided a pin-point accurate cross from Demarai Gray into the nets in the 66th minute following a counter-attacking move.
The Reggae Boyz failed came under pressure again when Davies served up a cross for Ismael Kone to butt into the back of the nets three minutes later and draw the Maple Leafs level before Bobby Reid stepped up to take the pressure-packed penalty in the 78th mimute after Canada’s Stephen Eustaquio was whistled for a handled ball inside the area.
Jamaica will advance to the CNL semi-finals where they will face hosts United States on March 21, the same day that Panama meet Concacaf giants Mexico. Both matches will be played at the world-renowned AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys, in the American city of Arlington in the state of Texas, which will host the Grand Final on March 24.
In addition, the Reggae Boyz earned a place, along with the Americans, Panamanians, and Mexicans in the 2024 Copa America tournament, the South American championship, to be staged from June 20 to July 14 in the United States.
The Canadians will progress to a CNL play-in match against Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday, March 23 next year, the same day that Costa Rica and Honduras clash in an all-Central American contest. Both matches will be played at Toyota Stadium, home to FC Dallas, in the American city of Frisco in the state of Texas.
The winners of the two single-match direct elimination pairings will be the last two Concacaf guest national teams qualifying for the Copa America.
AT THE PAN AMERICAN STADIUM: Guyana formalised their promotion to League A when they ended their campaign in fine style on the road in the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo, drubbing Antigua & Barbuda with six different players scoring.
Kelsey Benjamin connected with a pass across the box from Liam Gordon to set things in motion in the seventh minute, he then added an assist with a pass from right field to find an incoming Omari Glasgow inside the box in the 36th minute, and Nathan Moriah-Welsh struck from behind the halfway line in the 45th minute to give the Golden Jaguars a commanding 3-0 lead before the half-time whistle.
Osaze de Rosario cutting inside and struck a curling shot to the far-right corner of the net to add his name to the scoresheet in the 67th minute, Leo Lovell steered a cross from Gordon into the net in the scheduled final minute before Deon Moore capped off a build-up in the third minute of stoppage time.
AT PIERRE ALIKER STADIUM: French Guiana secured first place in League B, Group C with a one-sided win against Bermuda in the Martinique capital of Fort de France and earned promotion to League A.
Albert Ajaiso gave the Frenchmen a 1-0 lead at half-time when he struck from inside the box in the 29th minute on a second opportunity from a long-range hit by Zedan Charlec.
Loic Baal scored in the 49th minute with a header at the right post, and Joel Sarrucco headed in a third after a contested ball inside the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
AT THE ANTONIO TRENIDAT STADIUM: St Martin claimed Group A of League C and earned promotion to League B for the first time with their resounding win against hosts Bonaire.
The French side ended with a perfect four wins from four matches after Gentes helped earn them a 3-0 lead at half-time after he turned in a cross from Keelan Lebon in the third minute, and pounced on a loose ball in the area in first-half stoppage time.
In between, Lebon scored in the 13th minute from a curling right-footed effort that hit the post and into net, and Emmanuel Richardson latched on to a cross from the right that took a deflection to score in the 46th minute.
AT THE JUAN RAMÓN LOUBRIEL STADIUM: Rivera had the performance of the night when he gave the hosts the lead in the second minute after striking from inside the box to conclude an early build-up, struck again from inside the box in the sixth minute on a second attempt, and rose to meet a cross from Noeh Hernandez and head in a third goal in the 19th minute.
Darren Rios won an aerial ball and beat the defence in the 39th minute, and Puerto Rico had a 4-0 lead at half-time.
Marcel Joseph cut the deficit in the 53rd minute off a free-kick opportunity, but Gerald Diaz struck from the edge of the penalty arc in the 74th minute with a right-footed strike, and Wilfredo Rivera converted from the penalty marker in the 77th minute to give the Puerto Ricans their best margin of victory during the campaign.
AT THE KIRANI JAMES STADIUM: St Vincent & the Grenadines secured their stay in League B with a 3-0 win against Belize on the road in the Grenada capital of St George’s.
Diel Spring gave SVG a 1-0 lead at half-time after connecting with a back pass from Oalex Anderson in the third minute, Kyle Edwards found the back of the net in the 84th minute with a chipped ball from midfield, and Oryan Velox sealed the result for the Vincy Heat with a strike from inside the box a minute later.
