It’s a Jamaica, Mexico semi-final at Gold Cup
Published:Monday | July 10, 2023 | 12:17 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
The Reggae Boyz qualified for their fourth Concacaf Gold Cup semi-final in five tournaments after beating Guatemala 1-0 in their quarterfinal at the TQL Stadium in Ohio yesterday.
Amari’i Bell delivered the crucial strike in the 51st minute to put the Jamaicans in the last four, where they will face Mexico on Wednesday.
However, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said their game must improve if they are to beat the Mexicans and reach their third final.
“First half we were overambitious,” he told reporters after the game. “Meaning we were rushing when defending. We were trying to win the ball individually instead of collectively and then you lose a lot of energy in an intense game like this.
“The same when we had possession. It was too much individual instead of collective. We should have passed the ball quicker to make them run instead of dribbling too much. So we learned a lot from this match.”
Although it was enough to beat the Guatemalans, he does not think such a performance would be good enough to overcome the mighty Mexicans.
“Mexico are not so different from Guatemala. There is a lot of intensity in their matches. It requires a lot of energy to play teams like we play today.
“Mexico play high pressure. They have really skilful players at a high level. So they are just one step higher than Guatemala is at this stage. But same areas of strengths, just the individual talent is a little bit higher than Guatemala.
“We did enough to win, but I would say this performance would probably not be enough to win Mexico in three days. So we need to learn from this game and be more like a team even though we are happy with what is happening.
“We are now two games without conceding a goal, which is always a good sign when you are in a knockout competition,” Hallgrimsson said.
It was a spirited start by the Central Americans, but Jamaica kept them at bay and grew into the match and gained control after the first 20 minutes.
However, Guatemala came back into their own towards the end of the half and had their moments going forward.
However, the defence of both teams stood resolute and gave very little away in terms of clear chances.
The Reggae Boyz came out more purposeful after the break, and six minutes into the half, Demarai Gray slipped in Bell, who made a composed finish inside the near post of goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen.
In the 56th minute, Guatemala created their best opening, but Mejia del Cid could not apply the finish required to beat Andre Blake in goal.
However, Leon Bailey and Damion Lowe had good chances to extend Jamaica’s lead, but they failed to make the most of their opportunities while Gray came close from a freekick on 72 minutes.
Guatemala’s best chance came in the 79th minute when Alejando Galindo planted a header on goal from seven yards, but Andre Blake denied him with a superb diving save.
Despite his concerns, Hallgrimsson said tactically, he is pleased with the players and the team.
“Overall, I thought we had a good team performance. You could see the passion of the players in the final minutes when Guatemala tested us. So tactically, I am happy, but we can learn and improve both attacking and defensive,” he said.