Comfortably the second-best team in the first half, Costa Rica put on a football clinic in the second 45 minutes last evening to officially eliminate Jamaica from the 2022 Fifa World Cup Finals in Qatar courtesy of a Joel Campbell strike.

Played behind closed doors inside the National Stadium, Costa Rica, thanks to two substitutions at the start of the second half, including regular skipper, the 36-year-old Bryan Ruiz, who totally dominated his much younger peers in midfield, the Central Americans turned the game around to run out comfortable winners in the end.

The result kept Costa Rica in the hunt for a place in Qatar as they inched up to 16 points and left Jamaica rooted on seven from 11 games.

It was the third-consecutive loss for the Reggae Boyz in this latest window, having gone down 1-2 to Mexico last Thursday, and 2-3 to Panama on Sunday.

It was the most confident of starts by the home side as they possessed the ball and forced the visitors on the backfoot for most of the first half, but Head coach Paul Hall would have been left frustrated at the end of the first 45 minutes as his players were wasteful in front of goal.

The 3-5-2 formation seemed to have worked as the Reggae Boyz bossed the game with Ravel Morrison, Devon Williams, Gregory Leigh, and Ethan Pinnock catching the eye as they propelled the team forward.

Just after the quarter-hour mark, Leigh, in one of the forward thrusts, was fouled just outside the penalty area on the left side.

Morrison powered a right-footed free kick which was hurriedly punched away by Paris Saint Germain’s Keilor Navas in goal.

The ball was kept alive and Navas was again called on to block another effort.

Against the run of play, Costa Rica carved out an opportunity from nothing as Campbell — the man with Jamaican roots — was left unmarked in the area, but his tame first-time effort was easily saved by Andre Blake.

As the first half drew to a close, Jamaica created no fewer than three opportunities to go ahead, but again they failed to get the better of a busy Navas.

Williams slipped through Andre Gray just left of centre, but his pass to serve Michail Antonio was overhit and the chance went abegging.

Then Antonio returned the favour with a looping headed pass, but Gray miskicked from inside the penalty box, and shortly after the ball fell kindly to Antonio, but the West Ham top striker could not beat Navas, who rushed off his goal line to smother the effort.

But the game changed totally with the introduction of Ruiz, the wily playmaker.

The Central Americans immediately assumed control from the start of the second half with Ruiz dictating the rhythm and tempo of his team as they pushed the hosts back.

Such was Costa Rica’s control that it appeared a matter of time before they made a telling mark, and it came on the hour when substitute Kevin Stewart was adjudged to have brought down Campbell inside the penalty box. Mexican referee Marco Ortiz wasted no time in pointing to the spot.

However, like he did on Sunday against Panama, Captain Blake denied Celso Borges’ powerful shot.

The Jamaicans’ penalty save celebration had hardly subsided when Campbell received a pass on the right, cut inside his marker, and yet another player, before stunning the Boyz with a cool finish to Blake’s far post.

The Boyz pushed forward and Hall rang the changes, and although a few threatening right-sided crosses were delivered, nobody could get on the end of them, and Costa Rica skilfully managed the rest of the game to keep their hopes alive, while ensuring that Jamaica’s journey ended with a whimper.

Teams: Jamaica — Andre Blake, Ethan Pinnock, Gregory Leigh, Andre Gray, Javain Brown, Devon Williams (Kevin Steart 58th), Ravel Morrison (Lamar Walker 69th), Bobby Reid (Peter Vassell 69th), Michail Antonio (Javon East 58th), Richard King, Adriana Mariappa

Booked: Williams (13th)

Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Amal Knight, Alvas Powell, Daniel Johnson, Cory Burke, Junior Flemmings, Kemar Lawrence

Costa Rica — Keilor Navas, Juan Vargas, Bryan Oviedo, Francisco Calvo, Kendall Watson, Jefry Valverde (Ronald Matarrita 46th), Yeltsin Tejeda (Daniel Chacon 88th), Celso Borges (Youstin Salas 76th), Alonso Martinez (Johan Venegas 76th), Joel Campbell, Gerson Torres (Bryan Ruiz 46th)

Booked: None

Subs not used: Leonel Moreira, Esteban Alvarado, Anthony Contreras, Douglas Lopez, Jewison Bennette, Aaron Suarez, Jose Ortiz

Referee: Marco Ortiz (Mexico)

Assistant Referee 1: Frank Anderson (US)

Assistant Referee 2: Kathryn Nesbitt (US)

Fourth Official: Tori Penso (US)

VAR: Carlos Ayala (Mexico)

AVAR: Tatiana Guzman (Nicaragua)

Referee Assessor: Jesus Lebron (Puerto Rico)

Match Commissioner: Allan James (Grenada)