‘Pressure’ relieved
Antonio more relaxed after netting first goal for Reggae Boyz
Published:Sunday | November 14, 2021 | 12:06 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
NATIONAL STRIKER Michail Antonio says that his first international goal against El Salvador released pressure on himself during his international journey so far with the Reggae Boyz.
Antonio arrived along with the rest of the squad yesterday after Jamaica drew 1-1 with El Salvador in their World Cup qualifier on Friday night in a game where a win slipped from their fingers.
The striker’s maiden goal in the 82nd minute seemed to be the game-winner. But Alex Roldan equalised in the 90th minute for El Salvador, which saw Jamaica miss out on a chance to vault further up the standings.
Although disappointed that his goal did not end up being the game-winner, Antonio, who was brought in as a second-half substitute, was nevertheless buoyed by finally getting off the mark after a difficult start for Jamaica.
“I’m very relieved. It’s always good to get off the mark quite early, so you can release all the pressure from yourself, so you can keep going and you can keep scoring more goals,” Antonio said. “Hopefully, now that I have got one, I can keep going and get more.”
Antonio struggled during his international debut in September against Panama, where Jamaica were beaten 3-0, a game that saw him not acclimatise to the team as he would have liked.
He admitted that the late arrival and limited preparation time did him no favours, but says that, compared to his debut, he feels more in sync with the group and is finding his bearings.
“I didn’t really have much training because I got here late and I was thrown straight into the team. There were seven players who never played together,” Antonio said. “So now you can see that we are starting to gel, we are starting to understand each other and it’s coming out on the pitch.”
That mindset is what Antonio is hoping to use on Tuesday when Jamaica host the United States, the first qualifier that he will have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd so far this campaign.
FRANCE 98 ANNIVERSARY
With an eagerness to display the attacking form that got local fans excited about his international switch, Antonio says that the team cannot afford any lapses in focus, especially given the match falling on the anniversary of the 1998 qualification to the France 1998 World Cup, more than two decades ago.
“The fact that we have not qualified for over 20 years is just not good enough. It’s time that we do come out (and perform). We have got the players, we have got the ability. It’s just to make sure that we do it,” Antonio said.
“These are the challenges to show the ability that we have. These are the teams that we need to play. These are the teams we need to beat so we can qualify. Right now, our performances are getting better. The only way we can show it is to do it against the better teams, the USAs the Canadas,” he said.
Jamaica are currently tied on six points with El Salvador and Costa Rica, five points below fourth-place Panama. The United States and Mexico are top of the standings with 14 points, followed by Canada (13). The top three are guaranteed qualification for the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup Finals. Concacaf’s fourth-place team will get another shot at qualification, through a continental play-off.
Honduras sit bottom of the standings on three points.
All the teams have played seven matches and have seven more to play.