Jamaica punched their knockout round ticket at the 2023 Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship in Guatemala on Thursday night following a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica.
Playing at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, the Reggae Boyz took a two-goal lead into the final half-hour, only for Costa Rica to find a pair of late goals to earn a 2-2 draw.
Alexavier Gooden’s goal in the 17th minute and Adrian Reid’s effort in the 62nd minute handed the Caribbean side a 2-0 advantage they held until the late stages, but Costa Rica got goals from Roy Bustos (79th minute) and Sean Albriton (87th minute) to collect a share of the spoils in the Group G top of the table fixture.
Costa Rica also claimed first place in the group with the result, while Jamaica finished in second.
Jamaica will next be in action on Saturday against hosts Guatemala in the Round of 16.
Earlier, Cuba inflicted a 4-0 defeat over Guadeloupe.
Goals from Yansiel Reinoso (22nd minute) and Lizardo Hernandez (32nd minute) put the Cubans in a place in which they only needed another goal to advance. They made sure there was no doubt, as Didier Reinoso (68th minute) and Hanoy Sosa (75th minute) scored to nail down a commanding victory and a third-place finish in the group.
Over in Group H at the Estadio Pensativo in Antigua, El Salvador defeated Suriname 4-0 to seal their spot in the knockout round round.
Goals in the 24th minute and 28th minute from Bryan Vasquez and Christopher Argueta, respectively, gave El Salvador a 2-0 halftime lead. They would then double the margin in the second with goals through Cristopher Arias in the 60th minute and Nelson Diaz in the 82nd minute for a second-place finish in the group.
The nightcap at the Estadio Pensativo between Honduras and Haiti ended with a 1-0 win for the Catrachos thanks to a goal from Russel Cruz in the 45+2 minute.
With the result, Honduras top the group with a perfect nine points from three games, while Haiti finished in third-place and a place in the next round.