Reggae Boyz Beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-1
Jamaica was looking to bounce back after conceding a late equalizer to the Americans in their opening match of the 2023 Gold Cup. After not winning a game for over a year, the Reggae Boyz register their first win under head coach Hemir Hallgrimsson against Caribbean rivals Trinidad and Tobago, whipping them 4-1 to take control of the group.
Everton star Demari Gray got the Reggae Boyz off to the best possible start with a composed finish after some brilliant hold-up play from Antonio, who played it to Leon Bailey, who then found Gray to give Jamaica the lead.
Four minutes later, underfire winger, Leon Bailey made his mark with a well-timed run to beat the Trinidadian defence. Bailey then rocketed a shot in the back of the net to give Jamaica a 2-0 lead to ease some of the pressure he has been under from Jamaican fans.
Demari Gray playing only his second game for the Reggae Boyz, got his second goal in the 29 minute following some more hard work from West Ham striker Antonio. The bustling striker unselfishly picked out Gray for an easy finish to give Jamaica a 3-0 lead to take into halftime.
Trinidad had a perfect halftime team talk as they came out of the dressing room, the better team, and quickly cut into Jamaica’s lead after some good play from the twin island side to set up Levi Garcia.
As the second half continued, Jamaica spurned a few clear-cut opportunities to kill off the game as they displayed the same dominance in creating opens in Trinidad’s defence. The Reggae Boy was, however, given a slight scare when the referee gave Trinidad a penalty but quickly rescinded the call after a VAR check.
Jamaican wonder-kid Dujuan Whisper Richards stole the show after coming on for a late cameo; the 17-year-old then repaid his coach’s trust in him by firing a powerful drive from outside the box, which took a deflection and nestled into the far corner of the net to give Jamaica a 4-1 victory.
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