KINGSTON, Jamaica - Antigua & Barbuda's never-say-die attitude bore fruit on Sunday in an international friendly versus Jamaica in Kingston, as the Bennaboys scored late to earn a 1-1 draw.
"I am happy with the score," said Antigua & Barbuda Head Coach Rolston Williams to reporters following the match. "We wanted to take the fans out of the game by frustrating the team."
The affair at Sabina Park served as further preparation for Antigua's 2019/2020 CONCACAF Nations League Qualifying (CNLQ) campaign, which will see them face off against St. Lucia, Bahamas, Martinique and Curacao.
Antigua were already riding a wave of confidence heading into the Jamaica contest after having down Bermuda 1-0 at home last Wednesday.
That momentum carried into Sunday's affair, as the visitors went toe-to-toe with the Reggae Boyz.
Despite Akeem Thomas' 50th minute goal for the hosts, Antigua goalkeeper Brentton Muhammad was brilliant, making a number of huge saves to keep the Bennaboys within shouting distance.
That resilience paid off, as Peter Byers scored in second-half stoppage time to give Antigua & Barbuda the draw.
Jamaica Head Coach Theodore Whitmore was left disappointed by the result, but felt like Sunday's contest can serve as a building block in the run-up to their CNL qualifiers versus Bonaire, El Salvador and Suriname.
"It is a work in progress, and we will continue to build. I have to give credit to the Antigua keeper. He had some brilliant saves. We had some chances to score, and that is an area that we need to improve," said Whitmore.
Antigua and Barbuda next face Dominica in a friendly on April 1.
