JAMAICA’S Reggae Boyz were booted from the Concacaf Gold Cup on Tuesday after going down 1-4 to Panama in their third and final Group C game.

The loss at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, condemned the Jamaicans to their earliest exit from the tournament since 2009.

A first-half hat-trick from Ismael Diaz and a late goal from Tomas Rodriguez set up the win for Panama.

Amari’i Bell scored the lone goal for Jamaica.

Guatemala joined Panama in the quarter-finals after beating Guadeloupe 3-2 in their game in Houston.

Panama topped the group with maximum nine points, followed by Guatemala on six. Jamaica ended with three points while Guadeloupe lost all three of their games.

Jamaica scored three goals in their three Group C games, the least by any team in the group.

It was a disappointing finish for the Reggae Boyz who went into the tournament on a high after topping their World Cup qualifying group. They also did relatively well during the Unity Cup in London, reaching the final before being beaten on penalties by Nigeria.

The Jamaicans were always playing catch-up, after they were ambushed by Guatemala in the first game of the tournament and then had to come from behind to beat Guadeloupe 2-1 in their second game.

Jamaica trailed after only four minutes on Tuesday, after Diaz’s left-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box deflected off Leon Bailey and gave goalkeeper Andre Blake no chance.

Diaz was at it again in the 17th minute when he got by Richard King just inside the box and powered an effort under the body of Blake.

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 committed a foul in the 18-yard box and Diaz scored from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute.

The end of the first half was held up as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) took an inordinately long time to rule there was no foul play when Jamaica’s Warner Brown went down inside the Panama penalty box.

Jamaica looked much better going forward in the second half but failed to convert any of the scoring chances they created. And they were made to pay when Rodriques scored Panama’s fourth in the 89th minute, as Jamaica threw caution to the wind in a desperate attempt to get back into the match.

— Paul A Reid