Jamaica edged Trinidad and Tobago 3-2 at the Gtech Community Stadium in London on Tuesday night, with a stoppage-time penalty sealing their place in the Unity Cup final.
The Reggae Boyz booked their place in the final scheduled for Saturday, 31st May, but not without drama.
What started as a comfortable lead for the Reggae Boyz turned into a tense rollercoaster, as the Soca Warriors mounted a spirited comeback only to be undone by a dramatic twist in added time.
Jamaica opened the scoring through Kasey Palmer, who calmly converted a 25th-minute penalty.
Early in the second half, Rumarn Burrell doubled the lead with a tidy finish in the 53rd minute.
However, the Soca Warriors responded almost immediately, with Isaiah Leacock finding the net just one minute later to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
Momentum shifted firmly in Trinidad and Tobago’s favour when veteran midfielder Kevin Molino levelled the scores in the 69th minute.
With five minutes left on the clock, Trinidad and Tobago nearly completed the comeback.
John-Paul Rochford was played through on goal and forced a save from the Jamaican goalkeeper.
In the 94th minute a defensive mix-up allowed Jamaica’s Cephas to pounce, but goalkeeper Denzil Phillip, brought him down in the box.
The referee pointed to the spot, and Richard King stepped up to slot home the winning penalty.
Jamaica will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Nigeria and Ghana, which will be played on Wednesday at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago will contest the third-place playoff.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will reignite their long-standing rivalry with Ghana’s Black Stars in a much-anticipated clash to determine who joins Jamaica in Saturday’s final.
