Giles Barnes celebrates his goal! Jamaica’s star is ascendant becoming the first Caribbean country to progress to the God Cup semi-finals since Guadeloupe in 2007. Their victims, fellow Caribbean nation, Haiti. If this match had a theme it was 7 minutes in, Jamaica’s goal, then 85 minutes of pretty much nothingness.
Barnes, the Houston Dynamo striker did what a striker should do, suss out an opportunistic goal when he was quicker to Adrian Mariappa’s retrieval of the ball on the goal line. A touch and then a low rasping drive which deflected off Johnny Placide’s leg into goal. The Haitians had much of the ball but resorted to a barrage of long range shots but for a few, did not trouble goalie Ryan Johnson. The last 15 minutes of the second half saw intense pressure as a desperate Haiti poured in corner after corner but the Jamaican defence stepped up with Michael Hector and Kemar Lawrence, especially heroic. Lawrence’s duels with Pascal Millien busting down the right flank provided an engrossing spectacle. He had the measure of the winger.