MIAMI, Florida – Jamaica and Panama will each try to finish their respective campaigns in the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League Finals on a high note when they meet in the Third-Place Match on Sunday evening at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Jamaica delivered an excellent performance in their semifinal against the United States, leading for the whole match until the final seconds of second half stoppage time when an own goal resulted in an equalizer for the U.S., and ultimately a 3-1 U.S. win in extra time.
Nevertheless, the Reggae Boyz defense stood tall in keeping a dangerous U.S. attack largely under wraps. Gregory Leigh’s goal just 31 seconds into the match gave Jamaica a lead that they held until that last-gasp equalizer.
GK Andre Blake was a strong presence in net for the Caribbean side in making four saves, while as a collective the Jamaican defense had 12 steals, with Damion Lowe one of the standouts with four steals.
Attacker Bobby Reid was a tireless worker as well, as he supplied the assist on the Leigh goal in addition to being a threat on the counterattack.
Panama suffered a 3-0 defeat to Mexico in their semifinal in a match in which they had control of things for a large part of the first half, but conceded two goals shortly before halftime.
The Canaleros will be eager to claim a victory in this one and achieve their best finish ever in a CNL Finals after finishing fourth in 2022-23.
MF Adalberto Carrasquilla was a central figure in midfield against Mexico, with 40 passes completed and two steals. Anibal Godoy also offered plenty of punch with three steals and 77 percent of passes completed.
These two sides last met in Concacaf Qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2022 during which Panama won both meetings, 3-0 and 3-2. Before then, they were opponents in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals, which saw Jamaica collect a 1-0 victory.
Post-match data
Gregory Leigh (JAM) scored the fastest header goal in CNL history, just 30 seconds into the game. In fact, it is the fastest in the knockout phase and, at the same time, the 2nd goal in the entire history of the tournament scored at that precise moment. Previously, it was Weston McKinnie’s (USA) goal against Cuba in 2019 (00m30s).
The own goal scored by Cory Burke (JAM) in favor of the United States is the latest ever scored in CNL history, at 95m24s. In fact, it is the 1st own goal scored in direct elimination games.
Panama ended a streak of 6 consecutive games without losing in the CNL (5W-1D) with their defeat.
It's the 4th consecutive loss for Panama against Mexico in CNL history, and it's the 3rd consecutive game where they failed to score. The number of defeats matches the number of games played in the CNL between these two teams.
