Schaefer’s Boyz give positive show even as they fall to Uruguay
By Ian Burnett (Jamaica Observer).
ANTOFAGASTA, Chile -- It was more than the cliché 'David vs Goliath' story.
It was the unknown Caribbean champions Jamaica, ranked 65 on the Coca-Cola FIFA list, taking on the two-time World Cup champions Uruguay, 15-time kings of South America.
Very few had given the invited guests from CONCACAF a winning chance against Uruguay in the opening Group B game inside the Estadio Regional Calvo y Bascunan at this the 44th edition of Copa America Chile 2015.
In the end, the Reggae Boyz gave as much as they got, and even more in a very professional display, despite going down 0-1, courtesy of a second-half strike from Cristian Rodriquez.
The result left Jamaica bottom of the four-team group without a point, with Uruguay ahead, followed by Argentina and Paraguay on one point each, having played out a pulsating 2-2 result inside Estadio La Portada in La Serena.
Jamaica will oppose Paraguay at 6:00 pm (4:00 pm Jamaica time) on Tuesday at the same venue here, while Argentina will oppose Uruguay in a gigantic clash two-and-a-half hours later at the same stadium in La Serena.
Sticking rigidly to the game plan, the Reggae Boyz sat composed behind the ball and matched their more illustrious opponents throughout the first half, oftentimes creating panic on the counterattack, even while dishing out a bit of flair, for which the continent is renowned.
Jamaican goalkeeper DuWayne Kerr had very little to worry about until he was forced into his first real save near the interval when he got down smartly to collect a left-footed drive from Rodriquez on the second attempt.
But in what was the key moment which might have given the Boyz the edge in the first half, Darren Mattocks broke into the penalty area after a fine run and team play on the left, instigated by Simon Dawkins. The wily Derby County player picked out Mattocks with a beautiful pass and the Vancouver frontman cut between the two towering Atletico de Madrid centre backs, Jose Gimenez and captain Diego Godin, but with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera at his mercy, Mattocks mishit his right-footed effort which was gratefully accepted by the Uruguayan number one.
The largely Chilean crowd inside the stadium displayed their appreciation for the disciplined first-half performance by roundly cheering the Jamaican team off the pitch, clearly surprised at its high standard of play.
But as fate would have it, the Boyz would pay for that miss, as only seven minutes into the second half the defending champions struck, thanks largely to the generosity of Ecuadorean referee Carlos Vera.
As new boy Michael Hector battled with Diego Rolan for the ball, Vera whistled for a foul on the forward, much to the chagrin of the players in yellow. They sensed the danger, as the freekick was awarded just a few metres from the goal line, and just outside the 18-yard box on the left.
Nicolas Lodeiro whipped in the ball at the back post where Jose Gimenez smartly headed back to the centre for Rodriquez to pounce with an easy side foot tap in just ahead of Captain Rodolph Austin.
The Jamaicans pushed back at their opponents and had a few half-chances, with headers from Giles Barnes and Deshorn Brown going agonisingly wide from left side crosses by substitute Lance Laing. Barnes also had a volleyed effort off target with Muslera scrambling across his goal.
As the final whistle approached, and the Boyz still on the hunt for a goal, Uruguay went close to adding to their tally when substitute Christian Stuani volleyed into the ground and over the crossbar after Edinson Cavani had beaten the back line to provide an inviting cross to the centre.
In the end, the positive result went Uruguay's way, but some of the Jamaican players and support staff still conjured up the desire to snap pictures with Cavani at mid pitch, the Paris Saint-Germain striker being the undoubted, most high-profile player in the team, especially with Barcelona's Luis Suarez suspended from the tournament by FIFA following his biting incident at last year's World Cup Finals against Italy.
The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the knockout stage, as do the two best third-placed teams.
Teams
Jamaica -- DuWayne Kerr, Michael Hector, Wes Morgan, Adrian Mariappa, Kemar Lawrence, Rodolph Austin, Joel McAnuff, Garath McCleary, Simon Dawkins (Lance Laing 54th), Giles Barnes, Darren Mattocks (Deshorn Brown 75th).
Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Daniel Gordon, Romeo Parkes, Hughan Gray, Dino Williams, Allan Ottey, Joel Grant, Jermaine Taylor, Ryan Thompson.
Booked: McAnuff (27th)
Uruguay -- Fernando Muslera, Jose Gimenez, Diego Godin, Carlos Sanchez (Christian Stuani 73rd), Alvaro Pereira, Cristian Rodriquez (Giogian de Arrascaeta 64th), Diego Rolan, Nicolas Lodeiro (Alvaro Gonzalez 86th), Maximiliano Pereira, Egidio Arevalo, Edinson Cavani.
Subs not used: Jorge Fucile, Abel Hernandez, Rodrigo Munoz, Gaston Silva, Guzman Pereira, Mathias Cotujo, Sebastian Coates, Jonathan Rodriquez, Martin Silva.
Booked: Gimenez (59th), Godin (84th)
Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador)
Assistant Referees: Cristian Lezcano (Ecuador), Byron Romero (Ecuador)
Fourth Official: Jorge Osorio (Chile)
