SAN JOSE, California — If the Concacaf Gold Cup is about surviving your bad days, Jamaica just earned a lifeline.
Down a goal, visibly disjointed, and twice rattling the woodwork, the Reggae Boyz flipped Friday night’s Group C clash at PayPal Park on its head, outlasting Guadeloupe 2-1 to vault into a three-way tie at the top with Panama and Guatemala (three points apiece ahead of their late meeting).
Guadeloupe, pointless after two outings, now stare at mathematical elimination.
How the drama unfolded
- 32′ — Shock opener: A short-corner routine left Jamaica’s back line statuesque and Thierry Ambrose cashed in from three yards.
- 41′ — Bailey brilliance: Leon Bailey, everywhere and everything in attack, zipped a left-foot drive from the D that froze keeper Brice Cognard.
- 45+2′ — Russell rises: Demarai Gray curled in a teasing cross, and Jonathan Russell thundered home a header for the decisive swing.
Second-half heroics
Guadeloupe threw the kitchen sink after the break, but captain Andre Blake produced a pair of breathtaking saves—one reflex claw with his left hand, another kick-save in stoppage time—to seal the points and the Man-of-the-Match nod.
The table at a glance
| Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 3 | 0 |
| Panama | 3* | 1 |
| Guatemala | 3* | 1 |
| Guadeloupe | 0 | –2 |
*Panama and Guatemala square off later tonight.
What’s next
Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir HallgrÃmsson still has rhythm issues to iron out, but the comeback keeps Jamaica’s quarter-final ambitions intact. One more disciplined outing—and a little less reliance on Blake’s magic—could see the Boyz march on.
