Dramatic Finale Ends with Jamaica Missing Automatic World Cup Berth
Steve McClaren steps down after 10-man Reggae Boyz sneaked into FIFA Play-offs
Jamaica fans experienced an emotional rollercoaster ride inside Kingston’s National Stadium last night, for what was the Reggae Boyz’ most important match in years.
Needing maximum points, at the expense of Curacao in their final Group B CONCACAF qualifier, to secure an automatic place in next year’s FIFA World Cup simply slipped through their fingers.
The scoreless draw was littered with relentless second-half turmoil on the pitch, followed by the resignation of head coach Steve McClaren.
Jamaica rattled the woodwork three times, saw Jon Russell given his marching orders with a minute remaining and had an added time penalty overturned by VAR.
The opening half failed to explode into life, with the showdown largely a game of cat and mouse in the middle of the pitch as the two sides played timidly as they sized each other up.
Curacao’s Leandro Bacuna produced the opening goalmouth action on the quarter-of-an-hour mark, hardly testing shotstopper Andre Blake with his ambitious long-range drive.
The Boyz made an immediate counterattack, but Bobby Decordova-Reid wasted his opportunity to beat keeper Eloy Room from six yards.
Blake was equal to Sontje Hansen’s shot midway through the opening half, as the dull 45 minutes petered out to a close that silenced the home supporters.
Having been so tame in the 1-1 draw at Trinidad & Tobago in their previous World Cup qualifier, the Boyz surprisingly stepped through the gears just after the hour-mark against Curacao.
Bacuna fluffed a couple of chances and Blake denied Jurgen Locadia’s left-footer to leave the Boyz looking second best after Gregory Leigh’s header hit the right post.
Shamar Nicholson’s header was denied by the crossbar on 70 minutes, with this near miss propelling Jamaica into long overdue attacking action.
McClaren’s troops suddenly had fire in their belly, so on came two forwards in a desperate bid to snatch a winner. Bailey-Tye Cadamarteri and Dujuan Richards appeared with 12 minutes remaining, each making an impact.
Sheffield Wednesday striker Cadamarteri came close to becoming an instant hero, only for his 87th-minute header to bounce back off the right-hand post. Richards also had a great opportunity to score, but skied his effort a few seconds before Russell was shown a second yellow card for a bad foul.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time the referee pointed to the spot after Jeremy Antonisse’s sliding tackle on Richards. But he reversed his decision after a VAR review.
The clash finally produced end-to-end action, albeit during the additional six minutes of added time. Renaldo Cephas’ header from the centre of the box was somehow steered wide. While Livano Comenencia and Antonisse came perilously close to grabbing a deserved winner.
Curacao topped the group and leave to tackle the lottery of the FIFA Play-offs. They are the smallest nation to ever reach the World Cup finals, boasting a population of just over 150,000.
Dick Advocaat, the ex-Netherlands manager, was unable to witness his battling troops in Jamaica as he had to attend an urgent family issue. The 78-year-old has only been in charge of Curacao, which lies in the Dutch Antilles, since 2024.
In contrast McClaren, who picked up 13 victories from his 24 games in charge of Jamaica, tearfully resigned from his post.
The 64-year-old former England manager explained: “Leading this team has been one of the greatest honours of my career.
“After deep reflection, and an honest assessment of where we [Jamaica] need to go, I’ve decided to step down as head coach of the Jamaican national team.
“Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is recognise when a fresh voice, new energy and a different perspective is required to move this team forward.”
It will be back to the drawing board for the Jamaica Football Federation to find a coach that lasts the journey. The trip of a lifetime could be on offer if the next manager can navigate past the Play-Offs in March to reach the prestigious World Cup finals next summer.
JAMAICA: Blake – Leigh, Pinnock, King, Lembikisa (Richards, 78) – Hayden, Fray (Russell, 64) – Cephas, Decordova-Reid (Richards, 68), Gray (Dixon, 58) – Nicholson. Subs: Henry, Holgate, Campbell, Chambers, Anglin, Anderson, Lowe, Waite
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