‘Good job, Boyz’
Jamaica commended for 1-1 draw with Serbia in light of difficulty on tour of Japan
Published:Tuesday | June 8, 2021 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
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Coaches Calvert Fitzgerald and Ludlow Bernard say that the senior national men’s football team should be pleased with their 1-1 draw with Serbia yesterday given the difficult start to their international series in Japan. Watford striker Andre Gray...
Coaches Calvert Fitzgerald and Ludlow Bernard say that the senior national men’s football team should be pleased with their 1-1 draw with Serbia yesterday given the difficult start to their international series in Japan.
Watford striker Andre Gray gave the Reggae Boyz the lead in the 29th minute, scoring his first international goal in his second consecutive start for Jamaica in their game played at the Miki Athletic Stadium in Hyōgo, Japan. Strahinja Pavlović got the equaliser for the Serbians in the 61st minute with a well-taken effort past Humble Lion goalkeeper Dennis Taylor, who started the game.
The match was the first of a revised two-game friendly series in Japan.
Originally scheduled to be a three-match tour, the first game against Japan, which was to be played last Thursday, was cancelled because Jamaica could not field a full team at the time. Only 10 players were available in Japan as the overseas-based contingent had difficulties because the COVID-19 test they did was not the one required for entry into Japan.
GOOD PERFORMANCE
Fitzgerald, who coaches Jamaica Premier League side Molynes United, said that in spite of the drop-off in form during that latter parts of the game, Jamaica put on a good performance and credited head coach Theodore Whitmore for putting together a starting 11 that competed.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought that they played well until the last 20, 25 minutes, where they got tired. But in the first half, Jamaica was definitely the better side. In the second half, the Serbians stepped up a bit.
“[Team] chemistry is easy to come by, especially when you have good quality professionals. It wont take a very long time for them to gel as a unit as long as the coach is experienced enough and knows how to put them together. And I think Tappa (Whitmore) did an excellent job.”
The starting 11 included four players who also started the friendly against the United States (US) in March. It consisted of defenders Liam Moore, Amari’i Bell, Adrian Mariappa and Gray. Defender Damion Lowe also made a return to the starting line-up after not featuring in the US game as contract negotiations with the Jamaica Football Federation were being resolved. Whitmore also gave midfielder Blair Turgott, who plays in Sweden, an international debut.
STANDOUT DECISION
What stood out to Fitzgerald was Whitmore’s decision to play Lowe in the midfield and he commended Lowe for his performance during his 72 minutes on the field.
“He placed Damion Lowe in central midfield and he was a revelation. For the first time in a long time, I really see Jamaica take charge of a midfield because we normally don’t have the confidence to do that. I saw where we did that this morning (yesterday),” Fitzgerald said.
Bernard, Harbour View’s head coach, says that the result should be considered a positive given the difficult start to their tour in Japan and that though some other notable players were unavailable for this window, Whitmore should have an rough idea of the group he wants to work with not only for the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament but also for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November.
“Serbia is a very good team and for us to draw with them speaks to some amount of progress that we are making in assembling a formidable team to compete in the World Cup Qualifiers,” Bernard said. “I know that there are a couple of players missing but the coach must now have in his head an idea of the players that he wants to play.”
Gray made the breakthrough just before the half-hour mark when he latched on to Turgott’s pass and beat Serbian goalkeeper Đorđe Nikolić, who rushed out of his area prematurely, and slotted the ball from a tight angle into an empty net. Dejan Joveljić had a chance to level the match two minutes before half-time, but his header was comfortably saved by Taylor.
Pavlović got the Serbians back into the game 16 minutes into the second half, collecting his own rebounded shot and slotting his effort in the corner of the net. Gray did have an opportunity to retake the lead in the 73rd minute but a crucial tackle from Pavlović prevented him from a brace and the winner.
Jamaica will play the Japan Olympic team on Friday at 11:35 p.m. Jamaica time to wrap up their tour.