Jamaica lose to Panama in Concacaf Gold Cup
KINGSTON, Jamaica—Jamaica bowed out of the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament on Tuesday after losing 4-1 to Panama in their third and final Group C game played at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
A first-half hat-trick from Ismael Diaz condemned the ReggaeBoyz to third place in the group and their earliest exit from the tournament since 2009.
Jamaica, which had lost its opening group game to Guatemala 1-0 before coming from behind to beat Guadeloupe 2-1, finished third with three points.
Panama won the group with a maximum of nine points and were accompanied to the quarterfinals by Guatemala, which had six points after beating Guadeloupe 3-2 in Houston on Tuesday.
Diaz started the scoring early when he put Panama ahead after just four minutes, his left-footed shot from just on the edge of the 18-yard box, deflecting off Jamaica’s Leon Bailey and giving goalkeeper Andre Blake no chance.
Diaz was at it again in the 17th minute when he got by Richard King just inside the 18-yard box on the left side, powering the ball under the body of Blake to double their advantage.
Defender Amari’i Bell gave the Jamaicans some hope when he headed home a cross from Dexter Lembikisa in the 27th minute, but the hope faded after Kasey Palmer pulled down a Panama player in the box and Diaz scored from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute.
Jamaica looked much better going forward in the second half but failed to convert any of the scoring chances they created and were made to pay when Tomas Rodriques scored Panama’s fourth in the 89th minute, scoring into an undefended goal with all 11 Jamaican players in the Panama half.
-Paul Reid