Young Reggae Boyz miss out on World Cup after 2-1 loss
Published:Saturday | February 18, 2023 | 10:19 PMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Jamaica's Under-17 World Cup hopes came to an end after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Guatemala in their Concacaf Under-17 Championship round-of-16 game tonight at the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala.
Selvin Sagastume opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a brilliant long-range effort but the young Reggae Boyz restored parity in the 54th thanks to Ronaldo Barrett, who converted a free kick.
However, a failed clearance from captain Ahir Dixon allowed a ball to fall to Gabino Vaquez, who fired past Jamaican goalkeeper Joshua Grant in the 77th minute.
The wait continues for Jamaica as they will miss an opportunity to qualify for the Under-17 World Cup for the fifth tournament in a row. The last time that Jamaica made the Under-17 World Cup was in 2011.
Guatemala will now face the United States in the quarterfinals with the winner becoming one of the four semi-finalists to earn a berth.
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