West Ham United forward Michail Antonio made history by scoring Jamaica’s first ever goal at the Copa América, but a 3-1 defeat to Ecuador, followed by Venezuela’s win over Mexico, sealed an early exit from the competition for the Reggae Boyz.
Having lost 1-0 to Edson Álvarez’s Mexico in their first outing in the USA, Jamaica suffered an early setback in their latest clash when Kasey Palmer’s 13th-minute own goal put Ecuador ahead.
El primer gol jamaiquino de la historia de la CONMEBOL Copa América™ 🥹🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/OCHTPQaeIR
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ (@CopaAmerica) June 26, 2024
Seventeen-year-old Kendry Páez made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time, but Antonio did restore some hope for the Jamaicans when he slammed home from close range after Ethan Pinnock’s effort was blocked.
While the strike marked Antonio’s fourth for his country, on his 17th outing, it also represented Jamaica’s first in three appearances at the prestigious tournament, having also competed in 2015 and 2016.
Chasing a leveller, Heimir Hallgrímsson’s side had a penalty shout turned down after a long VAR check with around 15 minutes left, before Ecuador’s Alan Minda put the result beyond doubt with a counter-attacking goal in the dying embers of the game.
The scoreline left Antonio and his teammates needing Mexico to beat Venezuela in the later Group B fixture to keep their knockout hopes alive, but, without the injured Álvarez, they fell to a narrow defeat and thus sealed Jamaica’s fate with a game still to play.
As it stands, Mexico are third in the standings, behind second-placed Ecuador on goal difference. In the final round of games, they will play Ecuador, while Jamaica will take on Venezuela. Both matches are scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday 1 July.
