A Joel Campbell goal gave Costa Rica this Wednesday a providential victory by 0-1 in his visit to Jamaicawhich allows you to keep alive the dream of qualifying Qatar World Cup with three days to play in the octagonal final of Concacaf.
It was the 62nd minute when Campbell, the fittest player in Costa Rica, received a pass behind the defenders, dribbled past an opponent, set the ball for his left foot and finished off a cross to sign his first goal in this tie that is worth three gold points
With this result, Costa Rica reached 16 points and is fully involved in the fight to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with three games to play next March, two of them at home against the United States and Canada, and another in the payments From El Salvador.
The first half was largely dominated by a Jamaican team that had at least three clear scoring chances that were conjured up by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, always a savior in the Costa Rican framework.
The first was a shot by Reid that Navas covered with a bilge in the 25th minute, and then came two other saving bilges against West Ham United’s English striker, Michail Antonio.
With a reinforced defense and protected by Navas, the Costa Rican team tried to put together some counterattack play and was about to open the scoring in a play from the left by Gerson Torres, who crossed into the area where Joel Campbell appeared alone in the area but He finished off loosely at the hands of goalkeeper Andre Blake.
That was the only occasion for a Costa Rica that did not have the ball in the first half and lacked the generation of offensive football, as has been the trend throughout the tie for the team led by Colombian coach Luis Fernando Suárez.
Costa Rica improved a lot in the second half with the entry of the experienced 10 Bryan Ruiz, who gave the team more possession of the ball and clarity in the midfield to gradually get closer to the rival goal.
Alonso Martínez narrowly scored a header and at 59 Joel Campbell was knocked down in the area and the Mexican referee Marco Antonio Ortiz signaled a penalty.
Goalkeeper Blake became a figure by stopping the shot to Celso Borges, but there was no time for regrets because a minute later, at 62, Borges himself threw a pass behind the Caribbean defenders where Campbell’s magic appeared to dribble in the area and shoot cross to open the scoring.
After the goal and with the physical wear and tear at the end of this triple qualifying round, the Costa Rican team fell back to defend the advantage against a Jamaican team that burned their last cartridges with crosses to the area that were controlled by the three central defenders Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston and Francisco Calvo, who built an impenetrable wall for the locals.
DATA SHEET
Jamaica-Costa Rica 0-1
0 – Jamaica: Andrew Blake; Gregory Leigh, Ethan Pinnock, Ravel Morrison (Lamar Walker, m.71), Adrian Mariappa; Richard King, Javain Brown, Devon Williams (Kevin Stewart, m.58); Bobby Reid (Peter-Lee Vassel, m.71), Andre Gray and Michail Antonio (Javon East, m.58).
Coach: Paul Hall
1 – Costa Rica: Keylor Navas; Jefry Valverde (Ronald Matarrita, m.46), Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston, Francisco Calvo, Bryan Oviedo; Celso Borges (Yostin Salas, m.74), Yeltsin Tejeda (Daniel Chacón, m.89), Gerson Torres (Bryan Ruiz, m.46), Alonso Martínez (Johan Venegas, m.74); and Joel Campbell.
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez
Goal: 0-1, Joel Campbell (d. 62)
Referee: The Mexican Marco Antonio Ortiz. He admonished Jamaican Williams
Incidents: Match of the eleventh day of the octagonal final of the Concacaf played at the Independence Park stadium in Kingston
