Boyz stunned by Grenada's Spice Boys in friendly Grenada surprise Ja 2-1 in World Cup warm-up SEAN A WILLIAMS, Assistant Sports Editor Wednesday, June 11, 2008
ST GEORGE'S, Grenada - Jamaica's Reggae Boyz suffered a humiliating 1-2 defeat against the Spice Boys of Grenada in a friendly international at the Grenada National Stadium here yesterday, the result of a very unconvincing rendition from the visitors.
Jamaica took an auspicious-looking 20th-minute lead courtesy of Stoke City's Ricardo Fuller, but that effort was erased by Sharlie Joseph's equalising goal for the home team in the 68th minute, while Blackburn Rovers' Jason Roberts found the winner in the 76th minute.
It is not the kind of performance and result Jamaica (ranked No 98 by FIFA) would want to carry into next week's CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tie against the Bahamas in Jamaica.
On the other hand, the result will certainly be a tonic for Grenada as they host CONCACAF powerhouse Costa Rica here on Saturday.
The start to the game was delayed for 20 minutes as the Jamaicans officially objected to having a Grenadian referee officiate the game, but after discussion with officials from both federations, it was agreed that the game would go on with the local official.
Jamaica totally dominated the first half with their slick passing, and only occasional were the Grenadians (ranked No 143 by FIFA) able to truly test the visitors' defence so well marshalled by the veteran Ian Goodison, Jermaine Taylor and Simon Ford.
But the second half was another story. The Boyz's defence appeared to have surrendered to the marauding Grenadians, who were more motivated by the ultimate desire to beat their more celebrated rivals. And it is a victory the home fans would have celebrated way into last night.
When the going was good for Jamaica, it was Rudolph Austin who was the first to test Desmond Noel in the Grenada goal, and he did so with a curling 25-yard free-kick that the goalkeeper scrambled to gather.
The Boyz's sustained attacking pressure became a little too much for the Spice Boyz to handle, and their defence, lead by Portmore United's Anthony Modeste, cracked when Fuller rose majestically to steer a fierce header home from an Evon Taylor corner in the 20th minute.
And similar to the scene when a cat toys with its prey before killing and devouring, that's the pomp with which the Reggae Boyz went about dominating their opponents.
In the 40th minute, that dominance almost paid dividends when Marlon King broke free from his markers, but the Wigan Athletic striker amazingly dragged his 14-yard angled shot wide.
The Spice Boyz returned in the second half a more spirited team and found their way into the Jamaica goal area on numerous occasions, but the under-fire Jamaican defence line withstood the onslaught.
On one occasion in the 49th minute, it took a desperate lunge from a defender's foot to prevent Roberts from pulling the trigger inside the box.
At the other end in the 58th minute, 1998 World Cup hero, Deon Burton, was a shadow of himself when he offered a weak shot from the edge of the area.
And only seconds later, Burton's header from close range after Grenadian goalie Noel punched the ball into his path off a powerfully struck free-kick from Rudolph Austin, lacked conviction.
The Spice Boyz's attacking bravo yielded a handsome return when they equalised from 19 yards when Joseph bent his free-kick around the Jamaican wall and into the far left hand corner of Donovan Ricketts' goal in the 68th minute.
Roberts got the go-ahead goal in the 76th minute when Jamaica's under-siege defenders failed to clear a bubbling ball out of their area, giving the England-based striker an easy tap home. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/ht...IN_FRIENDLY.asp
"We didn't control the game, our passing was terrible, our focus was terrible and personally I am ashamed of what we did here today," said technical director Rene Simoes.
"We just played badly for the entire game today," he added.
"However, this is a learning process for the team, it never stops so today was a good lesson in building team character," Simoes said.
"It was a tough loss for us and nobody likes to lose, but we have to use what we have learnt and be motivated for Sunday's game," he said.
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Obama/Biden 2008 - Because we need people who actually think running the show.
Wow. I never even knew this was gwaaning whilst I was away. So how come the reporter is making it sound like Jamaica controlled the game but Simoes is completely ashamed??
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They make the world so hard
