RESPECTED football analyst Clyde Jureidini examines the Group A CONCACAF World Cup qualifying match between Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz and Antigua and Barbuda in an away 0-0 draw on Tuesday night. His analysis of the game focuses on the main areas of defending, possession and penetration while recapturing in details plays, tactics, statistics and highlighting special moments.

THE ideal objective was to win the game and gain three more crucial points following a winning start at home against Guatemala, although probing to the end the Reggae Boyz had to settle for the safe position of “not to lose” the game as the main objective was not achieved.

The competitive away game against a combative, confident Antigua was always expected but our experience, class and pedigree were expected to prevail in the end, but we failed to penetrate and finish.

FIRST HALF: The Antiguans started out immediately thrusting down the left flank, as Lovel Palmer stopped their progress at the corner flag, to be fouled. It was a threat of things to come as for the next 10 minutes a series of rightsided attacks aided by our errors and poor ball control.

Peter Byers was always a clear and present danger with his physical ability to outmuscle our players two or three at a time. He barged his way goalward through our defensive lines with regularity, but lacked the necessary composure to finish when alone in precious two goalscoring positions, looking eye-to-eye with goalkeeper Dwayne Miller who stared him down twice.

The combination of five midfielders high pressing our Jamaicans into discomfort on the ball, constantly fouling Rudolph Austin from initiating plays which may have affected his below average performance on free kicks, corners and passing on the seemingly narrow field and a hard surface, stuttered at the beginning as the Antiguan committed some 13 infringements by half-time.

Slow ball movement, regular turnovers by all midfield and attacking players in addition to goalkeeper Millers’ distribution did not help the team to settle down, build a rhythm or penetrate with authority in a coordinated way hence sparodic forays only from right-sided crosses from Austin and Palmer were well met by Ryan Johnson at the far post but directed straight at custodian Molvin James. Left-sided advances by Demar Phillips hitting the post and average finishes from Dane Richards and captain Luton Shelton as JeVaughn Watson was in the background. Richards searched for openings, looking more dangerous on the right.

SECOND HALF: Byers emerged as the solitary “hitman” early in the second half, when on 51 minutes he controlled well under pressure, twisted and turned Nyron Nosworthy and Jason Morrison to burst 20 yards into the area past Adrian Mariappa to cross from the left as Phillips hurriedly cleared just over his own goal, ahead of Miller. The corner that resulted again saw the ball headed down across the area to Byers at the centre to lift the ball over the goal from eight yards.

The Reggae Boyz responded with sharper, swifter and better coordination on the ball and Watson sprang to life on minute 54 down the left, he cut inside and shunt Johnson on top of the penalty area as he swayed away from two defenders to tee-up a fast-moving Dane Richards to his right, but the latter skied the shot from 15 yards to spurn what must have been Jamaica’s best opportunity to score. Johnson instinctive response of disappointment, said it all. The run of the game was now with the Boyz as probing down both flanks flowed but little penetration into the deep-seated Antiguan defensive unit until minute 64 when Watson again flirted with rightback, Quinton Griffiths before sliding inside to pass to Shelton who exploded by a group of opponents to slam a left-footed shot against the goal post, which rebounded to a surprised Johnson who could not convert under pressure.

Finally, the stabilising force of Jason Morrison was emerging into the opponents half for the first time as he was now being fouled regularly just above the half-line. Peter Byers and his partners in Thomas and Murtagh kept penetrating at the back but failed to convert twice as ground and aerial crosses went abegging as a historic victory beckoned.

Coach Theodore Whitmore rang the substitutions with three attacking changes introducing Tremaine Stewart, Errol Stevens and Ricardo Fuller, who all made an impact but not grabbing the prized “Brass-Ring” by scoring the allimportant goal. As Fuller entered the game in the 88th minute, he could have made himself a hero to finish of a 10-pass sequence, but his anxiety got the better of him as he was ruled offside as he moved early to collect Tremaine Stewart’s threaded ball inside the penalty area.

The last whistle blown, only time will tell what price we will pay, when we settled for a point and lost two to be joint zone leaders on four points from two games alongside the USA, who have a superior goal difference as Guatemala and Antigua are on one point each.

Editor’s note: Clyde Jureidini is general manager of Harbour View FC and company secretary of the Premier League Clubs Association.