The Reggae Boyz were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against a spirited St Vincent and the Grenadines team on Friday in the first leg of their Concacaf Gold Cup qualifier at Arnos Vale Stadium—salvaging a result through a stoppage-time penalty from winger Leon Bailey.
Despite boasting more than 70% possession and peppering the Vincentian goal with 16 shots, Jamaica found themselves on the brink of an upset after a solo strike from Oalex Anderson gave the hosts a shock lead midway through the second half.
Anderson’s goal—an electric run from midfield after a turnover—stunned the Jamaicans and nearly delivered what would’ve been one of the biggest results in St Vincent’s footballing history. But deep into added time, a desperate foul by Tristan Marshall on Warner Brown gave Jamaica a lifeline. Bailey calmly converted from the spot for his sixth international goal, leaving the tie finely balanced heading into Tuesday’s second leg at Sabina Park.
Jamaica head coach Steve McClaren, speaking after the match, remained composed despite the nervy result.
“We’re not going to let emotions cloud our judgment,” he said. “We expected intensity, and we got it. They’re a confident team with a good run of form behind them. This wasn’t a surprise to us.”
Although frustrated by the missed opportunities, McClaren was quick to highlight his team’s control of the game and acknowledged St Vincent’s effectiveness on the counterattack.
“On a different day, we’d be ahead comfortably by halftime,” McClaren reflected. “But football doesn’t work on ‘what ifs.’ We were warned about their transition play and it showed. We have to take accountability, reset, and prepare properly for Kingston.”
Jamaica thought they had gone ahead earlier in the second half when Dexter Lembikisa fired home from distance, but the goal was disallowed for obstruction, with Bailey ruled to have interfered with play.
Now, with the home crowd set to rally behind them in Kingston, the Reggae Boyz will look to put the scare behind them and book their place in the Gold Cup. But if Friday’s game proved anything, it’s that no Caribbean opponent can be taken lightly.
“We’ve got work to do,” McClaren admitted. “This result keeps us on edge, and that might be what we needed.”
