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Boyz dominate St Vincent to ease into Gold Cup
March 26, 2025
Jamaica eased to a 3-0 win over St Vincent and the Grenadines at Sabina Park last night to qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The Reggae Boyz wrapped up the two-way tie 4-1 after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw at Arnos Vale in St Vincent last Friday.
Warner Brown opened the scoring in the 27th minute and Andrew Johnson made it 2-0 with an own goal in the 89th minute. Renaldo Cephas sealed the nation's Gold Cup berth with an added-time goal.
Reggae Boyz coach Steve McClaren said it was a good display from the Boyz.
"The game management was excellent. From back to front we controlled it. We lifted the tempo when we needed to.
"I call it 90 miles per hour and 10 miles per hour. In the first game we played 10 miles a hour too much. This time I was pleased with the balance," he said.
The Reggae Boyz took their time to get going in the first 20 minutes. However, the Boyz soon settled into their game and went ahead, when Brown rode a tackle on top of the area and slammed a shot past Lemus Christopher in goal for St Vincent.
Jamaica controlled possession after taking the lead and Bobby DeCordova-Reid should have doubled the advantage but he headed straight to Christopher after he found himself unmarked at the back post.
Cephas also had a glorious opportunity late in the half but he could not get the ball past Christopher after a heavy touch.
The Jamaicans went on the attack immediately after the break, especially through Cephas down the left, and came close on a few occasions.
Joel Lattibeaudiere placed an effort just wide of the target in the 55th minute, and Richard King glanced a header wide at the back post from a corner in the 65th minute.
The Boyz eventually got an insurance goal in the 89th when Johnson looped a Leon Bailey pass over his own goalkeeper.
Cephas put the icing on the cake in added time, volleying home from inside the area after the St Vincent defence failed to clear their lines.
St Vincent coach Ezra Hendrickson said they never got going.
"We came in very confident after doing so well last Friday. We almost won that game and the mentality and attitude and spirits were high.
"We didn't start with a good flow. We gave them control of the game. We had a couple headers in the six yards box that we didnt convert but once they got the goal, they stole the momentum and it was difficult for us," he said.
