Busby not concerned about Girlz profiglacy

Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr says he is not concerned with the number of missed opportunities from his players in their win over Nicaragua on Monday as they have achieved their overall objective by moving atop Group B.

The Girlz pulled off a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Nicaragua in their second game of the Concacaf W Qualifiers at the Nicaragua National Stadium.

A brace from Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, along with a goal from Shania Hayles, secured all three points for the Girlz.

Jamaica moved atop Group B with six points, tied with Nicaragua, but hold the advantage with a better goal difference with their 21 goals scored compared to Nicaragua’s nine.

Guyana sit third with three points while Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica sit fourth and fifth, respectively, both without a point.

After the win, Busby said the team had completed their number-one objective by leaving the field with all three points.

“The number-one objective was to leave with three points. Overall, we had some moments where we had to suffer a little bit, but credit to the players, who did well to come back from adversity,” Busby said.

“We knew that we needed to get those three points to go on top of the group, which we did, and I think it was really important that we achieved all our objectives here.”

However, the night was dominated by missed opportunities from the Girlz, who had 31 attempts on the night, with 11 on target.

In comparison, Nicaragua were far more clinical with their chances as the Central Americans scored twice from their nine shots on the night.

Busby said he knew it would have been a difficult game for the Girlz, not just based on Nicaragua’s quality, but the artificial playing surface.

He explained that the team had spent much of their preparations focused on getting used to playing on turf but knew it would have been an entirely different experience during a competitive match.

“We knew it was going to be difficult coming in. A lot of our players play in Europe and are not used to artificial surfaces, so we spent some time getting used to it during the week, but it’s not the same as going into the match.”

Busby said he is not concerned with the team’s missed opportunities and said it is simply a learning experience for the team ahead of their remaining two games.

The Girlz will play their next two games at home, facing Antigua on April 10 before closing out the group against Guyana on April 18.

The winner of the group will advance to the Concacaf W Championship, which will serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The Reggae Girlz are hunting for their third consecutive appearance at the World Cup and their first-ever Olympic Games appearance.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com