By Orin Davidson
Team Guyana’s hopes of a playoff spot in the New York Digicel Caribbean Cup football tournament took a huge hit as they were blanked 4-2 by Jamaica in Brooklyn last weekend.

Paced by a brilliant hat-trick from Roland Deane, Jamaica maintained their prolific scoring form which places them way out in front on the points table in Group A.

Deane opened the scoring from as early as the third minute extended it in the 15th and made it 3-0, 15 minutes later while Damian Powell added the fourth, 10 minutes into the second half.

Guyana scored through an own goal in the 46th minute while Marlon Pollard pulled the other goal back in the 88th minute.

Without key centre back, Jermain Smart, Guyana’s defence was sluggish especially in the first half and was pressured by the slick passing Jamaican attack that hammered Colombia 5-0 in their opening game.

Jamaica beat the off-side trap to open the scoring when Deane banged in a right foot shot that ricocheted off the upright into the goal from a left side cross.

A carbon copy play resulted in the second goal as Deane tapped in another cross from close up that beat the Guyana goalkeeper to his left.

Guyana’s forward line hardly troubled the Jamaican defence with their kick and rush strategy while the Jamaicans used the short passing game to full effect.

Deane secured his hat-trick by beating the advancing goalkeeper through his legs with a right footer and a rout seemed imminent.  However, the hard working Jermaine Scott in midfield engineered Guyana’s first goal when he placed a right  side free kick from 25 metres out,  onto the head of a Jamaican defender who failed to control the ball which ended in the back of the net.

Guyana tightened its defence in the second period with heavy tackling that kept the Jamaican forwards at bay, until former  national midfielder Jermaine Hue released Deane who hit a right foot shot  that  was parried by the goalkeeper, and  Powell was right on spot to hammer home the rebound.

The game’s fortunes swung thereafter as Guyana pressed hard and enjoyed greater possession especially in Jamaica’s half.

They hit the post and upright with powerful shots, before Pollard bundled in a header to make it 4-2 just before the final whistle.

The loss means Guyana will have to win their last two preliminary games against Colombia and Dominican Republic to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

They are joint third with Dominican Republic with one point each, but have played two more games.

In the opening game Sunday, Barbados crushed Dominica 5-1 through goals from Theo Griffith, Malcolm Marshall, Richard Lavine, Donovan Layne and Shon King.  Curtis Sylvester netted Dominica’s lone goal.

The action will continue this Sunday with Trinidad and Tobago taking on St. Vincent and Haiti clashing with Colombia.