Skipper Andre Blake praises ‘dynamic’ Reggae Boyz
THOUGH they have experienced a difficult start to the Fifa World Cup 2022 Concacaf Final Round Qualifiers, Captain Andre Blake has made it clear that the Reggae Boyz are ambitious and have always wanted to do well.
From the first six games of 14 in the eightteam final phase, Jamaica secured just one win away to Honduras on Wednesday night, two drawn results against three defeats, as they were rooted at the foot of the points standing for the first five rounds of games.
But after opening with consecutive defeats, including a humiliating 0-3 result at home to Panama, the tide seems to have changed, somewhat, and Blake is happy with the upward trajectory.
“Very proud of the boys tonight (Wednesday),” he told the media. “We had a very dynamic group out there and the way that we started the game wasn’t the way that we finished the game, but we were able to as a team, including the coaching staff, analyse and realise that some things weren’t really working so we had to make some adjustments. So once we made those adjustments we got settled into the game and we fought,” he explained.
The Philadelphia Union number one goalkeeper added: “It was a scrappy game but we matched their intensity and then at moments our football took over where we were able to get some passing and get some possession of the ball, so overall it was a good night, a very big three points, and
I’m proud of the boys; they did a great job, and now we just have to keep buliding on this momentum and move forward.”
Jamaica started poorly and were lucky to survive the early onslaught when Anthony Grant generously gave away possession of the ball well inside his area; there were, however, enough alert defenders to thwart the danger.
Heach Coach Theodore
Whitmore made an adjustment with a tactical change and it worked as the visitors soon found a foothold in the game and eventually wrested control which manifested into the creation of goal-scoring chances.
Kemar Roofe took the first one on 38 minutes when he deflected a Shamar Nicholson goalbound shot out of the reach of goalkeeper Luis Lopez. It was no more than Jamaica deserved.
The home side returned more determined to salvage something from the game and forced the Jamaicans to defend deep into their half,