Despite what he described as a “tough week,” Reggae Boyz Head Coach Steve McClaren says he is proud of the effort by the team that came from behind twice against two-time winners Nigeria only to lose 5-4 on penalty kicks in the Unity Cup final at Gtech Community Stadium in west London on Saturday.

Goals from Kaheim Dixon and Jon Russell, both from crosses by Renaldo Cephas, brought Jamaica level twice before the Caribbean team, who are preparing for the resumption of the FIFA World Cup qualifying and Concacaf Gold Cup tournaments, came up just short.

The Nigerian Super Eagles beat fellow West African team Ghana 2-1 in their semi-final while Ghana beat Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) 4-0 in the third place match also on Saturday.

Jamaica beat TTO 3-2 in the semi-final and McClaren, who said he hoped for a camp in England when he took over the job just under nine months ago, described the week as something “players, staff, will remember for a lifetime. Hope we can do it again soon, but now we’ve got bigger things.”

Even while saying he was pleased with the attitude of the players on and off the field and voicing his disappointment at losing on penalties.

“We move on to the [World Cup] qualifiers, and we look forward to that and if the players we couldn’t get for this Unity Cup, they come in with the same spirit and work rate, you know, we’ll, we’ll certainly get the results that we we need to get,” McClaren said. “The feeling is we’re a little bit sad for the players, because to work so hard and then to lose with the penalties was disappointing.

“But at the start of the week, I said getting everybody together and squad together was one of the toughest that I’ve had to get. It’s been a tough week. We started with 17 players. We got some reinforcements in, [and] I can’t believe how they’ve come together, which, again, is probably typically Jamaican that they look after each other, instantly befriend each other, instantly have that vibe and that energy.

“That’s what they’ve all done great — the senior players, because we had a lot of youngsters coming into the squad, but so proud of the players in terms of their preparation, the two performances that they put on.

“We talk about fights at the end, and that’s what they did. So to lose by penalties was was disappointing, but as I said, it was a milestone.”

Moses Simon gave Nigeria the lead nine minutes into the game when he wormed his way through the Jamaican defence and fired past Shaquan Davis.

Kaheim Dixon, who plays in London, equalised three minutes later with his third goal for Jamaica, tapping in a low hard cross from Cephas into the roof of the goal.

Samuel Chukwueze restored the Super Eagles’ lead in the 53rd minute when he swivelled on the top of the 18-yard box and fired into the far right corner of the goal.

Another precision pass from Cephas found Russell who fired it powerfully past the Nigerian goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali to pull the Reggae Boyz level once again when he scored in the 63rd minute.

In the shoot-out, Dwayne Atkinson, who was one of the additional players brought in after the game against TTO, and who was a second-half substitute, missed his penalty, firing inches over the bar but Richard King, Isaac Hayden, Ravel Morrison, and Amari’i Bell all converted for Jamaica.

Kelechi Iheanacho, Simon, Toluwalase Arokodare, Sopuruchukwu Onyemaechi, and Christiantus Uche all scored Nigeria’s penalties.

National striker Kaheim Dixon

MCCLAREN… the feeling is we’re a little bit sad for the players, because to work so hard and then to lose with the penalties was disappointing