Photo: Jamaica celebrate a brilliant goal scored by Bobby Reid as they run out 2-0 winners over Suriname in their opening encounter of the Concacaf Gold Cup at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando Florida on Monday night. (contributed)
A goal apiece from Bobby Reid and Shamar Nicholson got Jamaica’s Concacaf Gold Cup 2021 campaign off to a flyer on Monday.
Nicholson swiveled across the face of the goal to shoot low and hard into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 1-0 in the 6th minute. Twenty minutes later Reid added his name to the score sheet, with arguably the best goal of the tournament so far, with a first-time volley which fizzed past the outstretched arms of the Surinamese custodian Warner Hahn to make it 2-0.
Early showers whisked across the southern sections of Orlando and drenched the lush green grass of the Exploria Stadium before kickoff. Not superstitious, but fans in the crowed echoed “showers of blessings, Reggae Boyz we mus Win”.
Gold Cup debutant Suriname got the game on the way but found themselves under tremendous pressure and went behind early after sustained pressure. Damion Lowe, who hardly did anything wrong throughout the game launched a long ball to Leon Bailey, who found himself in acres of space, he twisted and turned Dion Malone inside out before laying it off. Daniel Johnson picked up the pass then rolled it in Nicholson’s path, he glided gracefully across the goal like John Travolta in ‘Dirty Dancing’ then fired a rocket pass Hahn much to the delight of the Jamaican supporters at hand for a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later Suriname got a glorious chance to make it 1-1, when Sheraldo Becker shrugged off a challenge from Alvas Powell and played a delightful ball to Gleofilo Vlijter who outmuscled Liam Moore and found himself one and one with goalkeeper Andre Blake, who in turn forced his shot wide, proving that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Both teams traded punches with Suriname looking the most likely team to score. In a bid to find the equalizer their defensive backline was exposed. Lowe picked up a ball deep inside his own half and floated it up the field with the intention of finding Leon bailey. again with a Paul Scholes-like pass. The defender got his head first to It, but it fell kindly to Reid who struck it furiously, on the volley, into the far upright to make it 2-0.
Three minutes later Bailey gave away a cheap corner kick due to unnecessary flicks and tricks and the Rreggae Boyz almost paid dearly for it. The corner was taken snappily and found an unmarked Becker, he dummied the shot, dipped inside, and unleashed a rocket destined for the left ‘rat hole’ but the 2017 Golden Glove winner Andre Blake, sprung to his left to claw it out the evening sky like Spiderman.
As the game went on, Jamaica started to dominate, and their experience allowed then to control the game as they caressed the ball with alacrity. The half petered out after a fever pitched high start and ended 2-0 in favor of the home team, Jamaica.
The second half did not offer much in terms of goals or quality as Jamaica took their feet off the accelerator and try as they may, Suriname found it hard to find a way pass the yellow brick wall of Liam Moore, Amari’I Bell, Damion Lowe and Alvas Powell.
Jamaica stretched their unbeaten record in opening fixtures at the Gold Cup to 5. Their next opponent is Guadeloupe who went down 3-1 to a spirited and entertaining Costa Rica team in the feature game of the double header on Monday night.
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