Jamaica’s World Cup ‎Dreams Turn into a Nightmare

End of road for Reggae Boyz in Panama
 
‎Winfried Schäfer will not be parading Jamaica’s  Reggae Boyz at the 2018 World Cup Finals, his side failing in the extreme to negotiate their way out of their qualifiers. Panama became the latest side to embarrass the Boyz in what has been a disastrous campaign to try to reach Russia 2018.
 
The hosts overwhelmed them with a less than flattering 2-0 margin last night in Panama City, repeating the scoreline they achieved over the Boyz in November’s reverse fixture. Gaby Torres broke the deadlock on 28 minutes and second-half substitute Abdiel Arroyo sealed success two minutes into injury time. 
 
Yet it had been a must-win scenario for head coach Schäfer ahead of hosting Haiti on Tuesdayevening in Kingston.
 
Yet he failed to throw caution to the wind and sent out a defensive side to tackle the Canal Boys on their home patch, not even adding much needed firepower when it mattered.
 
And so it became a deja vu of their lacklustre Copa America Centenario trio of group games, when the Boyz each time failed to score and suffered comprehensive defeat.
 
‎Panama were all over the Boyz like a rash, breaking away in a bid to grab goals, and produced 15 shots with five on target. In response Jamaica had a paltry two shots, both on goal, but the Boyz failed to truly trouble Dynamo Bucharest shotstopper Jaime Penedo and their free-kicks were gobbled up.

Schäfer dropped defensive stalwart and captain Adrian Mariappa from the starting line-up, as he has not played any matches in England this season and only recently signed for Premier League outfit Watford, with Leicester City’s Wes Morgan taking over the skipper’s armband.Jermaine Taylor joined Morgan in the heart of defence, but gaining his 90th international appearance became a forgettable experience due to the significance of the result.

Lee Williamson was given the nod instead of ex-skipper Rodolph Austin, and Simon Dawkins was preferred to Jobi McAnuff. Yet Austin and McAnuff got their chance when they were handed substitute appearances, 

Schäfer pinned his hopes on the pace, power and scoring abilities of Giles Barnes and Clayton Donaldson – but they failed to muster any serious danger. Surprisingly neither were replaced when the Boyz desperately needed goals.

But inside Estadio Rommel Fernandez it became a cauldron for the Boyz, the home fans out in force to support‎ Hernan Dario Gomez’s men.

And the noise was notched up when Torres blasted in Alberto Quintero’s pass.

The tepid response from the visitors was constantly halted by centre backs Felipe Baloy and Roman Torres, with Panama quick on the counter-attack and peppering shots towards keeper Andre Blake.

But Blake was caught out‎ by a stoppage time counter-attack, Arroyo’s angled drive earning maximum points to take Panama one step closer to their inaugural place in the World Cup Finals.

Costa Rica and Panama escape out of the four-team Group B to the final stage of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifers, Randall Azofeifa’s stunning 72nd-minute volley enough to pull off a 1-0 victory over Haiti.

And so it is game over for Jamaica for another four years, and they welcome Haiti to the National Stadium on Tuesday in what could be Schäfer’s final match in charge.

The Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) will no doubt be fuming with their German head coach for failing to steer them into the final stage of World Cup qualifiers, so Schäfer will need to provide answers as his salary is subsidised by Brazil.

Fans have lost interest in the Boyz since Schäfer took over two years ago, and only a lucky success in landing the 2014 Caribbean Cup saved him from the axe when fans were calling for his head.

It will be intriguing how Captain Horace Burrell and the rest of the decision makers at the JFF react to this latest defeat.

And whether fans will turn out in force on Tuesday to watch a match that means nothing could be the final straw for the JFF.

Now could be the time for Captain Burrell to end the nightmare for the sake of Jamaica’s international football future and give Schäfer the boot.

Jamaica needs to return to the days when players were dreaming of proudly playing for the Boyz.

‎PANAMA: Penedo; Miller (Ovalle 46), Baloy, R Torres, Machado; Quintero, Cooper, Gomez, Barcenas (Arroyo 64); G Torres (Henriquez 82), Perez. Subs: ‎Calderon, Murillo, ‎Escobar, Camargo, Gonzalez, Buitrago, Nurse, Tejada.

JAMAICA: Blake; Lawrence, Taylor, Morgan, Hector; Watson, Williamson (Austin 52), Dawkins (McAnuff 62), McCleary (Orgill 73); Donaldson, Barnes. Subs: Barrett, Thompson, Powell, Harriott, Francis, Mariappa, Binns, Burke, Holness.

Jamaica Lineup: Andre Blake; Kemar Lawrence, Jermaine Taylor, Wes Morgan,Je-Vaughn Watson; Simon Dawkins (Jobi McAnuff – 62’), Michael Hector, Lee Williamson (Rodolph Austin – 46’), Garath McCleary (Dever Orgill – 73’); Clayton Donaldson, Giles Barnes‎