IT’S NOT OVER!
MONTERREY, Mexico — Following Jamaica’s 1-0 victory over Mexico in their opening match, Head Coach Lorne Donaldson wore a steely face. But the look was to mask the joy bubbling inside.
Jamaica’s all-time top scorer Khadija Shaw netted the winner in the eighth minute for her 52nd goal from 37 games for the country. The vital goal put Jamaica in a very good position on their quest of making back-to-back Fifa Women’s World Cup appearances.
Donaldson is wary of the mounting pressure of expectations with the result over the hosts.
“It’s a good position to be in, it’s better than losing but again, you can’t get complacent,” Donaldson pointed out.
“The job gets tougher now because the expectation now from other teams is a little bit higher, so we have to bring it,” he added.
“We had to get something out of the game. I wouldn’t say it was a must-win game, but it makes our job feel like it’s a little bit easier,” said Donaldson.
He continued: “We can’t just sit back and said we won this game. It’s not over yet. So, we will have to come out and get results out of the next two games.”
The top four teams from the Concacaf Women’s Championship qualify for the World Cup. Jamaica are drawn in Group A alongside world champions the USA, Mexico and Haiti.
Both Jamaica and the USA sit atop of the group with three points, but the Americans with their 3-0 whipping of Haiti are first with a better goal difference. Jamaica are second with Mexico and Haiti who are without a point.
In Monday’s match, Jamaica had 13 shots compared to Mexico’s 12, but with a number of clear-cut chances, the Reggae Girlz should have won by a wider margin.
Shaw had a chipped effort hit the base of the upright with goalkeeper Emily Alvarado in no man’s land.
The speedy Jody Brown got two chances after latching onto through passes to be one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but firstly she kicked wide, and on her second effort, the ball went straight at the goalkeeper.
But the biggest miss was from the penalty spot as Havana Solaun skied her effort, but Donaldson was quick to her defence.
“Anytime you miss a PK, people question who takes the penalty, but penalties have been missed by the world’s greatest set of players,” Donaldson pointed out.
“So, I have no problem telling Havana to take the PK. If there is a thing and she never felt comfortable then she passes it on. But if she felt comfortable taking it…then I will never question a penalty taker. Even the greatest miss them,” said Donaldson.
The USA-based coach shifted focus to the final result that laid a solid foundation for the team to build on as the tournament grows.
“I thought the result was good and I thought it was a fair result, especially with the chances we had. We could have scored a couple more,” said Donaldson.
“The preparation for this match, I wouldn’t say it was perfect, but it was good and I have to give the players a lot of credit as they responded very well to all the stuff we have been through so far and it’s only one thing, we have more to go,” he noted.
Jamaica will next be in action on Thursday against the USA starting at 6:00 pm.