Desperate Haiti, wary Reggae Boyz

THOUGH JAMAICA’S Reggae Boyz are already through to the next round of the Concacaf Nations League A, their head coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, doesn’t plan on letting up on Haiti when the teams meet in the final group game at the Hasely Crawford Stadium tonight.

The last time the teams met at the National Stadium in Jamaica, the Reggae Boyz were forced to come from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw and while the coach was happy with the fight his team showed, he felt the result was not a true reflection of what the side can produce.

“We think we should have done better in the first game and we want to make up for that,” Hallgrimsson told a press conference at Hasely Crawford Stadium yesterday.

In addition to making up for a less-than-ideal result against the Haitians, the Reggae Boyz coach wants to keep Jamaica atop the Concacaf rankings, in terms of Caribbean teams, as well as to grab a more favourable draw in the Nations League’s quarterfinal round.

“We want to win the group, we want to win the game,” he said yesterday.

Still, Hallgrimsson is wary of going all gung-ho against a team that seems to have a potent counter-attacking threat in its locker.

“But at the same time, we know the quality of Haiti. They can really punish you, they really punished us in Jamaica. They slapped us in the face two times in the first 20 minutes.”

11TH-MINUTE GOAL

Jamaica, who had dominated possession in Kingston, Jamaica, from the opening whistle, found themselves behind when Don Loucius broke their lines to boot home an 11th-minute stunner.

And even as Jamaica attempted to shrug off the deflation and get back to dominating the game, Loucius twisted the dagger three minutes later, when he hit the back of the net again.

It took an own goal from Ricardo Adé in the 51st minute, which was at first credited to the man, fast becoming a Reggae Boy talisman, Demarai Gray, and Bobby Reid’s 83rd-minute penalty to get the largely dominant Jamaicans back in the game.

As if a tie against Haiti could get any trickier, the team, playing the home game in Trinidad and Tobago because of social unrest in their country, are fighting to stay in Concacaf League A after a 1-1 draw with Suriname left them fourth in Group B on three points. Cuba are second on five points, while Honduras are third on four. Cuba and Honduras played to a 0-0 draw on Thursday and play again today.

Haiti need to stay above Suriname and Grenada, who have two and one point, respectively, but who play each other today. A result for either would push Haiti down to fifth place, where relegation to Nations League B awaits.

The scenario means a desperate Haiti and a wary Hallgrimsson.

“We know that Haiti is fighting for their life. They’re fighting not to be relegated and they’re such a good team they should never be relegated from League A,” said Hallgrimsson.

Despite his sympathies with ‘such a good team’, Hallgrimsson isn’t giving them anything.

“We have to be ready to give everything we have.”