Stewart

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Despite a much-needed 1-0 win against Honduras on Wednesday night, Bradley Stewart, assistant coach of Jamaicas Reggae Boyz, admits that it was a disappointment to not have scored more than a single goal.

Although the national team have kept their slim chances of progressing from the semi-final round alive with back-to-back wins over Mexico and Honduras, the scenario in which they find themselves is still a difficult one.

Mexico currently lead the group on 10 points followed by Honduras on nine, while the Reggae Boyz are third on seven points.

Goal diffeence crucial

Should the scenario that any of the two teams end up locked on 10 points arise, goal difference will be used as the decider. With both Honduras (+3) and Mexico (+4) currently ahead of Jamaica (-3), a huge result would be needed against Canada in order to ensure the Reggae Boyz progression.

"I must say that not having scored more goals is a bit of a disappointment, I thought we had good opportunities," Stewart said. "It would have done a lot for us to have won the game by a bigger margin, knowing the situation."

Commendation

However, Stewart went on to commend the team for its spirit on their pitch and admitted they got off to the perfect start.

"I think we started the game just how we wanted. We knew it wasn't going to be an easy game and we needed to go out there and be aggressive," Stewart said.

Jamaican striker Luton Shelton gave the team the lead, when he beat Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares to the ball, rounded the custodian and tucked the ball into the back of the net in the 16th minute.

Honduran coach Reynaldo Rueda, while disappointed with the result, commended the Jamaicans for a solid performance.

'Group of Death'

"We congratulate the Jamaican team on the kind of football they played today, it was a competitive and excellent game," he said. "This is the 'Group of Death' and we expect things to be very close as all the teams are well structured. Today was a close game, but on our part, there were a couple of mistakes made."

Honduras will host Mexico in their final game of the round at the Estadio Olympico Stadium on November 19.

Although the Central American team is ahead of the Jamaicans on goal difference, only a win against the Mexicans will guarantee their spot in the next round.