Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz cruised to a 2-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda’s Benna Boys in the CONCACAF Nations League at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda on Friday.
In the lively Group C fixture, it was the visiting Jamaicans who looked the more menacing team early on but were plagued by inaccurate passes and poor finishing in the final third. Despite being good value for a lead, when they did take one in the 34th minute, it was somewhat fortuitously.
Maalique Foster emerged from a thicket of players to knock the ball into an unguarded net after Antigua’s goalkeeper Molvin James had spilled an Alvas Powell shot from a tough angle.
The Jamaicans continued to enjoy dominance in possession, but the hosts also put positive spell together, despite lacking a cutting edge in the final third.
The Reggae Boyz doubled their lead in the 58th minute after Ricardo Morris slammed the ball high into the roof of the net after being played through from a well-weighted Shamar Nicholson pass. The Benna Boys threatened to at least get a consolation goal late on but D’Andre Bishop saw his 82nd minute shot charged down by the Jamaica backline.
The win saw Jamaica extend their lead to a perfect 15 points with 5 matches played in the group and secured their spot to the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. (Sports Max)