Jamaica Soars over Trinadad and Tobago

Jamaica enters the match coming off a draw with the United States in a match many thought Jamaica should have won and blew their opportunity to. Jamaica had an excellent chance to go up 2 – 0 over the MLS-heavy United States early in the first half but Baily missed a penalty kick badly.

Matt Turner knew which way he was going and was there ahead of the ball but still gave up a juicy rebound nonetheless and Bailey put the rebound well wide of the 2nd post. Jamaica was not happy with the fact they gave up a late second-half goal to Brandon Vazquez in the 88′ of the match.

For TNT they entered tonight’s match after struggling with St. Kitts and Nevis in the first half of their match going scoreless. It took three second-half goals (43′,65′, and 73’OG) to beat the smaller nation. Neither side was completely happy with their previous match performance.

The match saw Demarai Gray score two goals on his 27th birthday as part of a three-goal first half that helped Jamaica secure its first win of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Gray’s first goal came in the 14′ when Jamaica’s Michail Antonio took the ball in the box but played a pass to Leon Bailey near the top of the arc, Bailey set up Gray, who took one touch from the left of the goal and then sent a low ball with laser precision inside the lower corner of the 2nd post for the finish and the opening goal.

Bailey then became the scorer three minutes later, sneaking behind the backline and bringing down a long ball, and firing a left-footed shot past Trinidad and Tobago GK Nicklas Frenderup into the lower corner of the second post just like Gray did earlier from the same spot for a 2-0 advantage in the 17′.

It was a third goal off a great play just before the break when Jamaica’s Kevon Lambert forced a turnover and played forward for Antonio, who squared so Gray could tap in his second goal of the night, earning the brace, he could’ve honestly walked it into the net and Jamaica would head into the halftime break up 3-0.

After a trio of changes at the break by Trinidad and Tobago manager Angus Eve, the Soca Warriors worked to get back in the game.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Levi Garcia got to the end-line and fired in a low cross that Andre Rampersad converted to cut the deficit to 3-1. Andre Blake will want that one back as he misread the cross that came right to him, the misread allowed Rampersad to tap it into the middle of the net in the 49′.

Neither team found the back of the net again until stoppage time. In the 55′ Bailey misses a wide-open goal unmarked, hitting the side of the net instead somehow. Then in the 65th minute when Frenderup denied Jamaica’s Shamar Nicholson from close range and the rebound bounced just out of the reach of the onrushing Antonio.

Then in the 66′ Bailey yet again misses from close range this time shooting it wide of the open far post. Bailey just had a look of horror on his face unsure of how he missed yet another gifted goal from the TNT defense.

But Frenderup was beaten late when a long shot from 17-year-old Jamaican Dujuan Richards took a tricky deflection off of Malik Khan and went in, to restore the three-goal margin at 4-1.

The meeting was the first ever between the Caribbean rivals in the Gold Cup. Jamaica now turns its attention to its final group game against Saint Kitts and Nevis at Levi’s Stadium on July 2 at 7:00 P.M., while Trinidad and Tobago close Group A action against the United States at 7:00 P.M. in Charlotte, NC at Bank of America Stadium.

Photo Credit: Concacaf.com