Photo: Damion Lowe led the Regge Boyz against Costa Rica
Costa Rica’s dominance over Jamaica in the Gold Cup continued with a 1-0 triumph over the Reggae Boyz as they marched into the quarter finals as Group C winners.
Both teams entered the contest with Costa Rica needing only a draw to win the group. They silenced their critics by taking all three points, as a second-half header from Bryan Ruiz stood as the only goal in the contest.
The game was halted for approximately two hours and fifteen minutes, four minutes in, due to lightening strikes and a thunder storm. However, the delay had no effect on the explosive excitement both Costa Rica and Jamaica showed within the first few seconds of the match. Neither side wasted any time in-search of a goal.
Possession and opportunities swung to and fro for the first quarter of an hour with some dangerous shots close to the goal, that had the fans on edge.
Despite coach Theodore Whitmore’s seven changes to the unit that played the last game, Costa Rica’s goal was still under siege from the Reggae Boyz. During the final minutes of the opening half, Costa Rica’s GK Leonel Moreira came up trumps to deny Jamaica from opening the scoring.
Debutant goalkeeper Dillion Barnes had very little to do as the back four kept the Los Ticos at bay. The half ended with Costa Rica having a 52% possession to Jamaica’s 48% but Jamaica offered much more threat in the attacking third, with 4 shots on target to Costa Rica’s 1.
Jamaica, knowing they had to win this game to top the group, got the second half off on a flyer. Setting up camp in the Costa Ricans half and probing for a goal.
Andre Gray got a surprise start due to his impressive substitution last time out and should have repaid the coach for such a move in the 51st minute when Blair Turgott laid off a perfectly weighted pass, but he blasted his shot straight onto the post.
Costa Rica responded almost immediately after as the ball fell kindly to Houston Dynamo forward Ariel Lassiter from a mistimed tackle by LA Galaxy’s Oniel Fisher. Lassiter played a flawless pass into the box that found teammate, Bryan Ruiz whose firm header rushed pass Dillion Barnes in goal and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 to Costa Rica in the 53rd. Ruiz a former Fulham FC striker, was scoring his first goal for the Los Ticos in over two years.
Things got interesting in the 72nd minute when Moreira, who was a late addition to the starting line after Patrick Sequeira got injured in the warm up, was issued a straight red card. The Costa Rican shot blocker charged way out of his box and used his hand to block the ball while Philadelphia Union forward Cory Burke was all alone against him on a breakaway opportunity.
Without hesitation, Moreira was sent off by referee Mario Escobar. Third string keeper Esteban Alvarado was thrust into duty after Moreira was sent off and he helped his team secure a clean sheet with some heroics in goal.
Costa Rica was forced to finish the match light, with Junior Flemmings and Shamar Nicholson coming close, but Los Ticos survived a wave of late pressure and topped Group C.
Costa Rica will now take on group B’s second place Canada, while Jamaica will go head to head with with group B winner and 2017 Gold Cup champions USA in the quarter finals at the AT&T stadium in Dallas, Arlington on Sunday 25th.
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