Michail Antonio’s Jamaica wrapped up their 2024 Copa América campaign with a 3-0 defeat to high-flying Venezuela in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Reggae Boyz were already eliminated from the competition ahead of the clash in Austin, Texas, following losses to Mexico and Ecuador, and on their third outing were again unable to register any points on the board.
Jamaica had a chance to take the lead in the first half, when Seattle Sounders wing-back Jon Bell was played through on the left-hand side of the box. His cross was met by Renaldo Cephas, but was sent high into the stands.
Venezuela came out firing at the start of the second half, and scored twice within seven minutes. Real Sociedad full-back Jon Aramburu’s right-footed cross found Eduard Bello unmarked at the back post, whose powerful header squeezed past goalkeeper Jahmali Waite to open the scoring.
With Jamaica firmly feeling the pressure, Yangel Herrera lost his marker, sneaking into a gap in midfield, and sent former West Bromwich Albion forward Salomón Rondón through on goal. He proved too strong for Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock, shrugging off his challenge and slipping the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Eric Ramírez put the game to bed with a comfortable strike in the 85th minute, having been played clean through by Kervin Andrade.
While the excitement of scoring Jamaica’s first goal at the Copa América will no doubt stick long in Antonio’s mind, the tournament ultimately ended in disappointment.
Following the Venezuela game, boss Heimir Hallgrímsson announced his resignation after four years in the job. The Jamaica head coach had taken his side to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2023 and an historic third-place finish at the CONCACAF Nations League, but felt unable to continue leading the team after failing to achieve any points at this year’s Copa América.
Antonio will return to West Ham United having contributed significantly in his first major competition for his country.
