Last Updated on November 15, 2020, 6:10 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz struggled in a difficult return to international football, and faced a 3-0 loss to Saudi Arabia, on Saturday in Riyadh.
The game was the first for the national team since COVID-19 restrictions caused a temporary stoppage of international football. The team seemed mostly out of sorts.
The dominant hosts took the lead from the penalty spot in the 10th minute after Jamaican goalkeeper Dwayne Miller directed a poorly taken attempt back in the path of Salem Al-Dawsari who tucked the ball into the net.
More self-inflicted damage came for the Jamaican team on the stroke of halftime after an under-hit back pass eventually ended up at the feet of Saleh Al-Shehri who beat the defence before scoring a goal in the 44th minute.
Firas Al-Buraikan added to the goals in the 77th minute when he tapped the ball into an empty net. Another turnover in midfield which led to a backpedalling Jamaica backline being unable to deal with a counter-attack from Saudi Arabia.
Before that moment, the level of the team’s play had gone up a notch after the introduction of overseas-based Jamaicans Leon Bailey, Ravel Morrison, Bobby Reid and Michael Hector.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
