Timid Reggae Boyz Struggle Against South Korea (Video)
Disciplined Taeguk Warriors control jaded Jamaica
Jamaica will enter next month’s World Cup Qualifying group games with just one triumph in four after being outclassed by stylish South Korea 3-0 in Seoul on Tuesday.
Dong-Won Ji broke the deadlock in a one-sided opening half with Sung-Yong Ki doubling the lead from the penalty spot and Eui-Jo Hwang completing the ordeal for the Reggae Boyz.
But Jamaica had only themselves to blame for a poor performance as head coach Winfried Schäfer reverted to his usual predictable tactics of packing the penalty area and relying on swift counter-attacks in the hope of scoring.
But the flaws of the Boyz were again exposed in this friendly, exactly as they were in the disastrous Gold Cup final against Mexico and at home to Nicaragua.
The slick, speedy South Koreans took total control from kick-off, comfortably dictating play and rarely relinquishing the ball to the stunned Boyz.
The Boyz were frustrated in the virtually empty 66,000-capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium as the in-form Taeguk Warriors poured forward at every only to be denied by all but two of the Boyz in and around the box.
Jamaica’s predictable counter-attack was well orchestrated by the industrious Giles Barnes but the over zealous visitors were unable to create any clear cut opportunities. The hosts’ natural ability to dominate possession made it tricky for the Boyz.
But Jamaica’s first real chance to score arrived on 20 minutes, only for five players to be laughably caught offside by the eye-catching hosts.
And within 40 seconds of the Boyz looking woeful on the attack, Sung-Yong’s close range effort was wasted – his instinctive blast straight at defender Adrian Mariappa saw the ball thunder off his knee.
The South Koreans were seeking the breakthrough but Dong-Won thundered his shot from outside the box straight at Andre Blake, who easily scooped the danger.
And seconds later Simon Dawkins was fortunate not to be cautioned with a wild tackle on Dong-Won.
The lively Dong-Won finally put the hosts in command with a wonderful header on 35 minutes. Unmarked he leapt like a salmon to rifle home a corner past Blake, who had raced off his line and was left in no man’s land as he punched the air and was made to look like an amateur.
Eui-Jo Hwang came close to doubling the lead three minutes later when he beautifully bent the ball over the keeper only to be denied by the crossbar, and other half chances escaped the South Koreans who kicked off the contest on an unbeaten 10-match run.
Following the turnaround the flowing attacking play outplayed the Boyz, but it took a dodgy penalty to increase the lead when Shaun Cummings was punished for what appeared an innocuous shove to win the ball. Skipper Sung-Yong made no mistake by powering the ball low to Blake’s right-hand corner on 55 minutes.
The hosts continued to terrorise Jamaica and were in cruise control, rewarded for their spirited performance on 63 minutes when Lance Laing dragged a free-kick from the left wing across the pitch into the path of Dong-Won.
His shot was palmed away by the overworked Blake but fell kindly for Eui-Jo to beautifully confuse the defence with neat play before placing the ball into the gaping goal.
And the hosts constantly came tantalising close to adding further goals to their tally, toying with the ineffective Boyz – who were chasing shadows and lacked any creativity or spark against a side world ranked no53 and the leading team in Asia this year.
Schäfer said: “Attack is the best form of defence for us. We don’t want to just stay behind the ball and defend.”
Yet Jamaica face two World Cup Qualifiers – Panama in Kingston (November 13) and away to Haiti (November 17) – as they kick-off their group games without Schäfer on the bench or in the dressing room. The head coach was was found guilty of unsporting behaviour against a match official in last month’s tie in Nicaragua, although claimed yesterday that he may get the FIFA ruling overturned.
With or without Schäfer, who gets red-faced and vocal when facing defeat, the Boyz need to up their game if they are to make any impact in future games. Their sudden lack of fighting spirit and inability to create goalscoring opportunities is a big worry.
Another disjointed display and questions will be asked by fans and the media alike about where Schäfer can take Jamaica, on the torrid performance in Seoul it seems that it is time to sort out new tactics and show some bite with their play.
Since their heroics at the Gold Cup earlier this year, the Boyz seem to be hitting a confidence crisis with a string of scrappy and clueless displays.
Schäfer has turned around the fortunes of Jamaica before, so he will soon have the opportunity again to prove his worth and not press the panic button.
JAMAICA: Blake; Cummings, Edwards, Harriott (Woozencroft 71); Laing, Dawkins (Ottey 90), Brown (Grant 46), Mariappa, Stevens (Morris 77); Mattocks, Barnes Subs: Thompson, Williamson, Seaton
World Cup Qualifying 4th Round (Round-Robin)
Group A: Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador, Canada
Group B: Panama, Costa Rica, Haiti, Jamaica
Group C: Trinidad & Tobago, USA, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Guatemala
Final Qualifying Round (Round-Robin)
Top two teams from each group will play in a six-team mini-league, with the top three automatically qualifying and the fourth-placed team moving into an inter-Continental play-off.