HOUSTON, Texas — Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz turned up the heat on Canada in a late flourish to snatch the winner in their Group B CONCACAF Gold Cup encounter 1-0 on a hot Texas evening at the BBVA Compass Stadium here yesterday.

Captain Rodolph Austin, named man-of-the-match in Jamaica’s previous 2-2 draw with Costa Rica on Wednesday, popped up in the box to head home a pinpoint, right-sided cross from Reading FC’s Garath McCleary.

Jamaica now move to four points and on the cusp of qualifying for the quarter-finals, but they will have to await the outcome of the Central America derby between Costa Rica and El Salvador, due for a late kick-off last night, to know where they truly stand in the group. Both Costa Rica and El Salvador were on one point each prior to their game.

Jamaica got their momentum going in the third minute with a spot of neat passing down the right side, but Adrian Mariappa, who was on the end of it, was hustled in possession and the referee called play back.

Canada hit back in the seventh minute when Adam Straith launched a searching ball from deep to Tosaint Ricketts out right, the latter cutting in to pass to Samuel Piette, but the effort was not telling enough.

At the other end, a couple of neat combination plays, involving McCleary, Mariappa and Simon Dawkins, put the Jamaicans on course for goal. On a couple of those, Dawkins ended up in possession, but his well-intended efforts lacked the sting and precision to pick the Canadian lock.

In the 12th minute, the Canadians again breached the Jamaican backline, putting a nippy-looking Ricketts on a collision course with Dwayne Miller, but the Syrianska goalkeeper pulled off another fine save.

Following a spell of offensive excitement, the Boyz sparked to life in the 26th minute when Dawkins snatched possession close to the half line, passed to McAnuff, who served up a delicious ball for Austin. And the skipper, in typical style, went for a long-ranger from 25 yards, but the target was not acquired.

A minute later, Jamaica were again on the attack when Mariappa, maturing in the right-back role, put a low ball in that Canada mishandled, which bounced for a lurking Lawrence, whose low shot failed to beat a web of tangled feet.

On the resumption, Jamaica threatened immediately with Dawkins, but the Derby County man could not steer on target an inswinging ball from the right past goalkeeper Kryiakos Stamatopoulos.

In the 59th minute, hometown boy Giles Barnes tested the Canada ‘keeper with a teasing 22-yard free kick, which struck the crossbar on its way over.

Jamaica kept up their offensive assault on the Canadian goal through Barnes, McCleary, and substitute Darren Mattocks, all of whom had good efforts either blocked, turned away or skimmed marginally wide of the target. Jamaica’s Je-Vaughn Watson, who anchored midfield alongside his skipper, was named man-of-the-match.

Jamaica will now head for Toronto for their showdown against El Salvador at the MBO Stadium on Tuesday.