Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz vs. Cameroon: International Friendly Ends With A 1-1 Draw – Watch Highlights

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz clashed with Argentina for the fourth time in September, but their most recent meeting with the Argentines did not prove to be more fruitful than the rest, as they were defeated 3-0 during their international friendly in New Jersey.

In their second planned friendly in the last few months, the Boyz undoubtedly hoped for a better result when they faced Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in their first-ever meeting on Wednesday.

With the match slated for kick-off in Cameroon, the Lions had both home-field advantage and the added encouragement from coach Rigobert Song that their national team’s World Cup squad’s remaining spots would be filled by players from today’s match.

During the face-off, both the Boyz and the Lions were unable to net a goal in the first half of the match, with Reggae Boyz goalkeeper Jahmali Waite securing the goalpost from multiple attempts made by the Cameroonians. The second half saw Jamaica take the lead, with 23-year-old Justin McMaster successfully scoring the team’s first goal in the 60th minute with a right-footed shot to the centre of the goal.

However, McMaster was later substituted by Demario Phillips in the 67th minute. The Lions’ Djawal Kaiba secured Cameroon’s equaliser in minute 74 with a shot from the centre of the box. Five minutes of extra time were added to the game, but both sides ended with a 1-1 draw.

Prior to today’s friendly, president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Michael Ricketts, shared that in preparation for the Boyz’ 2023 Gold Cup campaign, the JFF is in the midst of negotiations with a FIFA World Cup qualifying team for a future friendly. Ricketts stated that they are making arrangements to schedule a match before the start of the World Cup and will make an announcement when it has been finalised.

Watch match highlights below.