The Reggae Boyz’ Pre-Gold Cup warm-ups ended in disappointment as they went down 2-1 to Jordan in their second international Friendly at the Wiener Neustadt Arena in Austria on Monday.
The Boyz, who were eyeing a rebound following their 2-1 loss to Qatar on Thursday, seemed on their way against Jordan after netting the opening goal in the 39th minute.
Striker Cory Bennett improved Jamaica’s penalty conversion rate following a calmly struck spot kick to put the Jamaicans ahead in the half, as they retained their lead going into the break.
Despite a relatively on-par start by the Boyz, complacency began to set in as the Jordanians began to find their footing.
The increased intensity by the Jordan forwards on the paid dividends just before the hour as Al-Mardi found the equalizer in the 56th minute.
The striker finished off a thrilling counter from the top of their 18-yard box which resulted in a simple tap as the defenders were caught ball-watching.
The Jamaicans were almost punished twice in quick succession after Jordan had a goal disallowed for offside two minutes later as the warning signs became more glaring for the defensive gaps in the Reggae Boyz’s back line.
The consequences of their attitude toward those signs were however realized in the 63rd minute after Ali Owlan linked up Musa Al-Taamari for a 1-2, delivering a low drive past keeper Andre Blake for their second goal as Jordan completed their comeback just after the hour mark.
With the momentum switched, the Jamaicans seemed to be under siege as the Africans seemingly camped out inside the Reggae Boyz defensive third.
Jamaica of course played without a number of the regular starters for the game, which became obvious as they offered minimal potency upfront with subdued attacks in the second half.
The result should give coach Heimir Hallgrímsson a lot to think about in his final squad selection for the Gold Cup which begins next week in the US.
The Boyz will kick off their campaign against the USA on June 24 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
