Coach Hallgrimsson has struggled to win games and many critics will be questioning his tactics
The Jamaican national team lost with a 2-1 scoreline in their latest friendly game against Qatar. The Reggae Boyz were outclassed by the middle east nation that recently hosted the World Cup. Shamar Nicholson’s goal only served as consolation in a forgettable match for Jamaica.
Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson starting lineup included: Mariappa, Russell, Latibeaudiere, Waite, Richards, Parris, Bell, Nicholson, Lembikisa, Burke and King. The substitutes were: Bernard, Boyce Brown, Blake, Lambert, Walker, Cover, Johnson and Philips.
Jamaica got the first chance in the 20th minute but they wasted their chance to go ahead from a freekick.
Qatar was controlling the possession in the late moments of the first half and it was only a matter of time before they created an opportunity to score. Homan Ahmed put Qatar ahead with a wicked strike in the 31st minute. The wingback had been troubling the Jamaican defenders with his runs inside the box. Yusuf Abdurisag created the opportunity and the goal came so quick that the Jamaican defenders didn’t see it coming.
The Qataris continued bullying the Reggae Boyz defence and they even got a second goal in the 39th minute. Mohammed Muntari scored this goal after bamboozling the Jamaican players. Coach Hallgrimsson will be angry with his players because they were simply “ball watching” when this goal went in. The defenders didn’t make any attempt to stop Muntari.
The Reggae Boyz fought back in the second half and they even enjoyed more possession than Qatar. Their opportunity to equalize came in the 61st minute after Shamar Nicholson was fouled in Qatar’s box. The Russian-based striker was awarded with a penalty and he stepped up to convert it from the penalty spot. Nicholson is the main striker for Spartak Moscow.
Coach Hallgrimsson has struggled to win games and many critics will be questioning his tactics. It doesn’t help that he has been using the “washed up” 4-4-2 formation that was popular back in the 1990s.
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