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Reggae Boyz held 1-1 at the Office PREMIDICTOR February 06th , 2008
The Reggae Boyz had to come from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica in their Friendly International game at the National Stadium on Wednesday. The Jamaicans turned in a spirited and dominant performance but fell behind in the 80th minute after substitute William Sunsing silenced the over 30,000 spectators. Sunsing who came on in the 78th minute, latched on to a defence-splitting pass and although he stumbled, he had enough time to slipped the ball wide of the diving Donovan Ricketts in goal. The silence was deafening and if you dropped a pin in the packed stadium, you would hear it fall clearly. Oh, here we go again were the words being murmured around the stadium, as defeat stared the Boyz in the face with two minute remaining in normal time and five minutes of added on time.
That was enough time for Jamaica to find the equaliser in time added on. Tyrone Marshall playing at right back, powered in a header from a delicate Marlon King cross in the 90th minute as the stadium erupted in ecstasy. The Reggae Boyz even had time to find the clincher but Wolry Wolfe's sliding effort went agonizingly wide of the goal. The game was the first for the returning technical director, Brazilian Rene Simoes and the return Wigan striker Marlon King whose two-year ban was lifted.
It was a performance which augurs well for the 98th ranked Jamaica as they dominated a strong Costa Rican team ranked 67th in the world and a team that played in the last World Cup in 2006. Such was the dominance of the Reggae Boyz that the visiting Costa Ricans took only two shots on goal, of which one which scored. It would have been a cruel reflection of the game if Costa Rica held on for the win and spoiled Simoes return to the "Office". It was also the third game since Capt Horace Burrell returned as president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) following victories over Guatemala and El Salvador in November.
All the dignitaries were on hand to greet the teams as Prime Minister Bruce Golding led the delegation. The Minister of Sports, Olivia Grange, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson-Miller, former prime minister Edward Seaga were also on hand. The 22 players were accompanied onto the field by the children from the SOS Children's Village prior to the start of the game. Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB), sponsors of the match, promised $50,000 for every goal scored by the Reggae Boyz would be donated to the SOS Children Village. The children must have rued the many missed chances by Jamaica because they would be at least $150,000 richer. Playing in front of a full house, the Reggae Boyz made their intentions known from early, bombarding the visitors' defensive area but failing to find the target. They went close on a couple of occasions but poor shooting was the order of the day. However it was a good and encouraging display by the Boyz and the fans can't wait for the World Cup qualifiers to start in June.
Teams: Jamaica - Donovan Ricketts, Ian Goodison, Damion Stewart, Ricardo Gardner, Tyrone Marshall, Rudolph Austin, Jason Morrison Omar Daley 61st), Demar Phillips (Wolry Wolfe 80th), Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Ricardo Fuller (Reon Nelson 85th), Marlon King.
Subs not used: Duwayne Kerr, Adrian Reid, Shavar Thomas, Nicholy Finlayson, Lance Laing
Booked: None
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