Elton Tucker, Assistant Editor - Sport

Jamaica's Keammar Daley (right), who fights for the ball with Costa Rica's Rudy Dawson during a CONCACAF Under-20 World Cup qualifier earlier this year in this file photo, scored the winning goal against Colombia in their Pan Am Games match in Brazil yesterday. - Reuters

Jamaica's Young Reggae Boyz began their Pan American Games campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Colombia at the Zico Football Centre yesterday.

The winning goal was scored by Meadhaven United midfielder Keammar Daley in the 76th minute. Daley, who had earlier squandered two easy chances, took advantage of a defensive lapse to slot past Colombian goalkeeper Javier Cardona.

Coach Wendell Downswell was happy with the overall play of his team and singled out under-17 players John Ross-Doyley of Portmore United and Bamboo United's Damaine Thompson.

"They really equipped themselves well in the step up to this level," Downswell said.

He added: "Our defensive organisation was good but probably offensively we were not as fluent as we should have been as we missed a few chances we could have converted. However, the fact that we now have things working defensively we can now work on the offensive part of the game."

Slow start

Jamaica began a bit tentatively as Colombia's James Rodriquez in midfield and forward Cristian Nazarith settled quickly. It was Daley, however, who got off the first shot forcing goalkeeper Cardona to make a diving save after 10 minutes.

Daley, captain Ricardo Cousins, Doyley and the overlapping Obrian Woodward, soon took control and with the referee allowing to game to flow, Jamaica began to pressure the Colombian defence and the very nervous goalkeeper Cardona. A shot from below the half line by Doyley had Cardona scrambling to make a save midway the half. Then Cardona, in making a clearance, saw his shot rebound off Daley and roll just out of play.

Before he had scored, Daley got an open goal and kicked wide from the left and he was set up by Woodbine.

Three Jamaican players, Cousins (57th), Edward Campbell (75th) and Ajuran Brown (86th were cautioned, while Colombia's Rodriquez was shown the yellow card in the 19th minute.

The Young Reggae Boyz will next play main Group C rivals Argentina on Wednesday.

MOST INTEREST

Most interest today will be in the swimming pool and at the cycling velodrome where Alia Atkinson and Ricardo Lynch will be in action. Atkinson will compete in the heats of the women's 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, while Lynch is down for the preliminaries of the men's sprint.

The Reggae Girlz who were outclassed 5-0 by Brazil on Saturday should find things a bit easier today when they face Uruguay in Group A of the women's football competition. Uruguay have lost twice in two games. They have so far failed to score and have conceded 11 goals.

The top two countries from the two-five-team women's groups will advance to the semi-finals.