Young Boyz start World Cup campaign comfortably

Jamaica’s U20 Reggae Boyz saw little need to move out of first gear yesterday, comfortably dispatching Bonaire 3-0 in their opening Group B Concacaf Men’s U20 Qualifier at the Stadion Rignaal ‘Jean’ Francisca in Curacao.

Sean Leighton scored the opening goal of the campaign for the Boyz in the 24th minute before defender Deshawn Lambert doubled the lead in the 43rd.

Substitute Raequan Campbell-Dennis sealed the win with his strike in the 72nd minute.

The Boyz were comfortably in charge from start to finish and went looking for the opener early in the contest.

Bonaire showed they were a well-organised unit and it took until the 24th minute before Jamaica were able to breach their defence.

Jabarie Howell swung a cross into the box that was met by Jahmarie Nolan, who headed at goal.

Nolan’s initial effort, however, struck the post but Leighton was in the right place at the right time to tap into an open net.

Jamaica maintained their hold on the game and got their second just before the half-time whistle, albeit with a bit of luck.

Lambert’s header at goal should have been an easy save for the goalkeeper, but miscommunication between him and his defender saw the ball bobbling into his net at his near post.

The Boyz entered the second half with less intensity, looking to manage their lead, but still found their third with around 20 minutes left on the clock.

Marlon van de Wetering did well to round his marker in the box before playing in Campbell-Dennis, who found the back of the net with a one-time finish.

The only issue that marred the night came in the 83rd minute, when Jamoy Dennis was given his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card in the contest.

In the group’s other games, Puerto Rico held off St Kitts and Nevis to see out a 2-1 win, while the Turks and Caicos Islands came from behind to best the Cayman Islands 2-1.

With the day’s results, Jamaica now sit atop Group B with three points, tied with Puerto Rico and Turks and Caicos Islands; however, the U20 Boyz hold the advantage with a better goal difference.

Jamaica’s next fixture will see them taking on the Turks and Caicos Islands in their second match of the group tomorrow.

The group winners will advance to the Concacaf Men’s U20 Championships, where they will join the six pre-seeded teams from the region.

The U20 Championship will serve as the qualification tournament for the 2027 FIFA Men’s U20 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com