ACCORDING to Jamaica men’s football Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, the Reggae Boyz’ podium finish at the 2024 Concacaf Nations League (CNL) finals in Texas is a step forward in the quest to grow and compete at higher levels. The major goal, he said, is reaching the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Although they did not achieve the ultimate prize the senior Reggae Boyz claimed bronze position, defeating Panama 1-0 in the third-place clash at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

Dexter Lembikisa scored the crucial goal for the Jamaicans in the 41st minute. The 20-year-old right full back received a pass from Michael Hector at the edge of the 18-yard box, deftly cut inside his marker, and unleashed a powerful, left-foot shot into the upper-left corner of the goal.

It was Lembikisa’s first goal for Jamaica, as they became the first Caribbean team to finish on the podium in the Concacaf Nations League ‘A’. It was also Jamaica’s fourth victory over Panama and the first since the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup quarter-finals.

In the 1-3 Nations League semi-final loss to United States last week and Sunday’s victory against Panama, the Jamaican team’s depth was tested due to the absence of key players, leading to a shift in personnel and tactics.

Hallgrimsson said the team’s inspiring performances were psychologically important and testament to the players’ belief in their abilities, providing confidence heading into the prestigious Copa America and the World Cup qualifiers this year.

“This is just a part of our journey. We are trying to build something for this tournament; and there is a saying that: ‘Success is not the destination; success is not a date; it’s a continuous journey in the right direction,’ so we’re just working on improving this team as our biggest goal at the moment is to try to reach the World Cup finals,” he said.

“This is a good step to play important matches, to play big tournaments, and to play strong opponents like the United States and Panama. They are two of the three highest-ranked Concacaf teams and we showed that we are closing in on this gap — even with the number of players not with us — so I have to give a lot of credit to the players for the way they presented themselves for Jamaica.

“I think it’s psychological just to know that we can face these teams of this calibre. Again, talking about missing players, I normally don’t talk about missing players but it gives belief in what we are doing, and I think that is the biggest benefit for us,” the tactician stated.

Hallgrimsson heaped praise on Lembikisa for producing the gorgeous winner.

“… It was a beautiful goal, and I think this kid has grown with every game he has played, establishing himself as one of the best young full backs I know.”

The Reggae Boyz could have opened the scoring earlier than they did as Shamar Nicholson had two chances at glory, but his shot at goal in the 19th minute was blocked by Panama’s goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera and his follow-up strike was cleared off the goal line by a retreating defender.

Panama attempted to react to Lembikisa’s goal before half-time, with Jose Rodriguez having a fantastic chance, but Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake made the save.

The second half saw improved defending from Jamaica and a few set plays which created danger for Panama.

The Panamanians, running out of time, upped the pressure on Jamaica in pursuit of an equaliser. But Blake had little to do as the midfielders and defenders closed the door to help secure the clean sheet.

“I think overall it was really a tactically good game from the boys,” Hallgrimsson said.

“We again just need a little bit more patience building out from the back but you have to take into account that we are missing a lot of players that normally play in the build-up.

“We’re changing a system, so having only two training sessions is really hard to do in two training sessions but I think overall this camp has given us more depth in the squad, with players really punching in and showing that they want to belong in this starting line-up, and so Jamaica is richer after this camp,” he explained.