MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC – Jason Wright scored a brace, and booted Jamaica in to the Under-17 Boys’ World Cup, when they put away Honduras 2-1 yesterday to also qualify for the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Championship.
Wright struck in either half of the last quarter-final in the CONCACAF Championship before a vocal, partisan crowd at the Catherine Hall Stadium that included Minister of Sport Olivia “Babsy” Grange.
He increased his aggregate to four, and sent the Jamaicans through to their second Under-17 Boys’ World Cup for the first time in 12 years.
The Junior Reggae Boyz will be the only Caribbean Football Union side that will travel this June to Mexico, where they will join fellow CONCACAF qualifiers Canada, Panama, and the United States.
Such was Jamaica’s dominance that the Hondurans had their first serious shot on goal in the 51st minute, and were grateful to second-half substitute Bryan Rochez for a consolation goal before they muffed a number of chances for an equalizer down the stretch.
Once the Jamaican celebrations settle down, they face the Americans in the second semi-final of the CONCACAF Championship tomorrow here.
The Junior Reggae Boyz had Honduras under pressure from as early as the sixth minute, when their captain Omar Holness put a shot from the top of the area just over the crossbar.
But Wright was unerring, when he gave them the lead in the 13th minute, following Holness’ long throw into the area that deflected off a group of players on the edge of the six-yard box.
The ball flew out to Wright lurking at the top of the penalty area, and he dashed in to blast past the ball Honduras goalkeeper Roberto Lopez from eight metres.
Jamaica kept up the pressure, but Lopez kept his team close for the rest of the half, including two consecutive saves in the 42nd minute.
Wright doubled the lead right out of the halftime break, when Jevani Brown fed a ball from the byline into the striker standing just outside the six-yard box.
Wright trapped the ball, spun to his right, and hit a low, rasping shot across the face of the goal, while defender Jeffri Flores appealed in vain for a handball, claiming the Jamaican forward settled the pass from Brown with his hand
