Concacaf Nations League: USA and Panama Reach Semifinals

USA Defeats Jamaica 4-2 in Second Leg

Christian Pulisic (left) opened the scoring for the USA in the 13th minute.

Despite a fighting second-half performance that featured a brace from Demarai Gray, Jamaica failed to rally past a solid United States team and were knocked out of the Concacaf Nations League after losing their second leg 4-2 here Monday.

The Reggae Boyz’ Second-Half Effort Falls Short

The Reggae Boyz needed to win after losing the first leg 1-0, but they conceded three first-half goals to put themselves on the backfoot at City Park.

Pulisic Scores Twice to Lead USA to Victory

Christian Pulisic put the USA ahead in the 13th minute when he ran onto a long, looping pass from Weston McKennie and one-timed the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Andre Blake.

The home side then made it 2-0 when Pulisic’s shot deflected in off Jamaica’s Di’Shon Bernard in the 33rd minute.

Ricardo Pepi increased the lead to 3-0 in the 42nd minute with his 13th goal, a right-footed shot for his first international goal from outside the penalty area.

Gray Scores Twice for Jamaica, but Effort Falls Short

However, Gray scored the first of his two goals for Jamaica with a volley past goalkeeper Matt Turner in the 53rd minute before Tim Weah put the USA ahead 4-1 in the 56th when he settled a pass from Yunus Musah and sent a shot just under the crossbar.

Gray pulled one back for Jamaica in the 68th minute after Turner parried Renaldo Cephas’ initial shot.

Panama Reaches Semifinals with 3-2 Aggregate Win

Meanwhile, 10-man Panama reached the semifinals, beating Costa Rica 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in Panama City.

César Blackman scored in the 13th minute and José Rodríguez in the third minute of first-half stoppage time for the winners, but Panama finished a man short after Fidel Escobar’s 80th-minute red card.

Los Ticos got goals from Alejandro Bran in the 24th and Adrián Martínez in the 72nd minute.

Conclusion

The USA and Panama have secured their spots in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League, while Jamaica and Costa Rica were eliminated.

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