Demarai Gray scored two goals on his 27th birthday as part of a three-goal first half that helped Jamaica secure its first win of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. The Reggae Boyz beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 in Group A on Wednesday at CITYPARK in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Gray’s first goal came in the 14th minute, when Jamaica FW Michail Antonio took the ball in the box but played a pass to Leon Bailey near the top of the arc. Bailey set up Gray, who took one touch and finished the opener.
Bailey then became the scorer three minutes later, bringing down a long ball and firing a left-footed shot past Trinidad and Tobago GK Nicklas Frenderup for a 2-0 advantage.
It was a third goal just before the break when Jamaica MF Kevon Lambert forced a turnover and played forward for Antonio, who squared so Gray could tap in his second goal of the night and Jamaica headed into the halftime break up 3-0.
After a trio of changes at the break by Trinidad and Tobago manager Angus Eve, the Soca Warriors worked to get back in the game. Trinidad and Tobago FW Levi Garcia got to the end-line and fired in a low cross that MF Andre Rampersad converted to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Neither team found the back of the net again until stoppage time. The best chance was in the 65th minute when Frenderup denied Jamaica FW Shamar Nicholson from close range and the rebound bounced just out of the reach of the onrushing Antonio.
But Frenderup was beaten late when a long shot from 17-year-old Jamaica FW Dujuan Richards took a tricky deflection off one of the shot-stopper’s teammates and went in to restore the three-goal margin at 4-1.
The meeting was the first ever between the Caribbean rivals in the Gold Cup.
USA beats St. Kitts 6-0
Jesus Ferreira scored a hat trick and Djordje Mihailovic added two more plus two assists to help the United States earn a 6-0 win over Saint Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at CITYPARK in Saint Louis. The win pushes the United States to the top of Group A of the 2023 Gold Cup after two games.
The U.S. got on the scoreboard in the 12th minute when DF Bryan Reynolds played a ball into space that MF Gianluca Busio ran onto. He cut back across the box where Mihailovic was able to thump in the home the opener.
Reynolds then scored a stunner of his own in the 14th minute. After a corner kick bounced out of the box, Reynolds swung his foot, keeping his shot low and the ball kissed off the post and in for a 2-0 lead.
Next up, it was Jesus Ferreira scoring in the 16th minute, taking a pass from FW Alejandro Zendejas and running past a defender to fire a right-footed shot into the back of the net for a third goal in four minutes for the defending Gold Cup champion.
Ferreira doubled his tally in the 25th minute, making a run behind and ending up one-on-one with Saint Kitts and Nevis GK Julani Archibald, who wasn’t able to stop Ferreira’s low right-footed shot that made it 4-0.
And his hat trick was complete in the 50th minute, with Mihailovic finding Ferreira in the box, and the forward putting a quick right-footed shot past Archibald.
The U.S. extended its lead to 6-0 in the 80th minute, swarming forward in transition. Mihailovic finished a move that started down the right wing and saw MF Christian Roldan register the assist
The U.S. now sits first in the group, ahead of Jamaica thanks to a superior goal difference. The Stars and Stripes close out group play against Trinidad and Tobago on July 2, while Saint Kitts and Nevis faces Jamaica on the same day.
