The Canadian men’s national team was shocked by Jamaica at BMO Field on Tuesday night as they suffered their first loss in Toronto in 13 years, falling 3-2 on the night in the second leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarter-final tie that thus ended 4-4 on aggregate, with the Jamaicans going through on away goals. On a chilly, wet night by the Lakeshore in front of 17,588 fans, the Canadians appeared to be on their way to taking care of business on home soil, but a tumultuous second half saw the match turned on its head as Canada failed to secure automatic qualification to the 2024 Copa América. Canada naturally opened the match as aggressors, seeking to put the tie to bed as early as possible. For all their early possession and quick attacking movements, though, they found themselves consistently stymied by Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake, who had an outstanding first half with some point-blank saves. At last, as the clock ticked into the 25th minute, Canada found a reward after relenting their pressure for a brief moment. With the ball in Canada’s own third and the Jamaican midfield caught forward, Stephen Eustáquio flicked a good pass upfield to Ismaël Koné. The Watford midfielder’s counter-attacking ball found a gap and, fortuitously, the leg of a Jamaican defender, which put it perfectly in the path of Richie Laryea who squared it for Alphonso Davies — who needed a second attempt after another Blake save but did in the end put the ball in the net. The second half, however, saw the tide begin to turn. With Jamaica taking on a more aggressive strategy, knowing they needed to score twice at least to win the tie, they began probing more and more dangerously with their vertical attacks. At last, around the hour mark, they broke through, as Damion Lowe picked out Shamar Nicholson with a well-weighted through ball and the Clermont striker finished emphatically to make it 3-2 on aggregate. Just four minutes later, Nicholson again evaded his mark and this time it was Demarai Gray who found him with a cross behind the Canadian backline, as Nicholson levelled the tie with another excellent finish. The gut-punch pair of goals seemed to wake Canada up though, and within minutes they won a corner. The initial delivery was cleared, but Davies ran to collect the second ball from his own cross and flicked it over the top to Koné, who headed it in beautifully. Again, though, the roller coaster match had another twist. As the clock ticked into the final 15 minutes, the referee awarded Jamaica a penalty as he felt a cross into the box had made contact with Eustáquio’s arm. After quite a few minutes of discussion the spot kick was officially given, and Bobby Decordova-Reid scored it to his right, putting the visitors in front for the first time. Canada’s final hope came in the form of a late red card for Gray, who picked up a pair of cautions in quick succession after his team had taken the lead, and the hosts did spent the final 20 minutes — including stoppage time — buzzing around the Jamaican penalty area with the numerical advantage, but they were never able to find that final ball they needed. So, in a stunning turn of events, Jamaica saw out the improbable comeback and will play in the 2024 Copa América. Canada may yet join them, but they’ll have to go through a play-in match in March against either Costa Rica or Trinidad and Tobago.
BOX SCORE
Goals
25′ — Alphonso Davies (Canada)
62′ — Shamar Nicholson (Jamaica)
66′ — Shamar Nicholson (Jamaica)
69′ — Ismaël Koné (Canada)
78′ — Shamar Nicholson (Jamaica) (Penalty)
Discipline
*53′ — Yellow: Shamar Nicholson (Jamaica)
58′ — Yellow: Damion Lowe (Jamaica)
83′ — Yellow: Demarai Gray (Jamaica)
84′ — 2nd Yellow: Demarai Gray (Jamaica)
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