The Reggae Boyz were made to work much harder on their latest trip to Grenada, grinding out a narrow 1–0 victory in an international friendly at the Kirani James Stadium on Tuesday night.
Unlike their emphatic 4–1 triumph at the same venue in 2023, this encounter offered few clear openings. It ultimately took a late moment of composure from substitute Nickalia Fuller to hand Jamaica the win and give new head coach Rudolph Speid a successful start in charge.
Both teams struggled to impose themselves in the opening stages, with midfield battles outweighing attacking fluency. Jamaica’s first real effort arrived in the 26th minute when debutant Nickyle Ellis tried his luck from 28 yards, sending his ambitious strike wide.
Grenada nearly punished the visitors just before the interval. A rapid counterattack left the hosts with a three-on-one advantage, but Jermaine Francis failed to capitalise, blazing his effort high and wide from distance.
The home side threatened again in the 76th minute when Keston Williams whipped in a dangerous cross from the right. Jamaican captain Damian Lowe almost turned the ball into his own net, with the chance flashing inches past goalkeeper Amal Knight’s right post.
A flurry of substitutions injected fresh energy for Jamaica, and the breakthrough finally arrived in the 81st minute. Winger Dwayne Atkinson showed quick feet down the right flank, skipping past defender Josh Gabriel before delivering a pinpoint low cross into the box. Fuller timed his run perfectly and finished calmly to seal the result.
After the match, Speid expressed satisfaction with his team’s discipline and patience.
“I thought we moved the ball very well. The players were composed in midfield, and when options weren’t there, they were patient enough to try something else,” he said. “What we wanted to see was whether the players would play the way we train, and largely, they did.”
Speid added that the technical staff would review the performance in detail, while reserving special praise for Atkinson’s match-winning contribution.
“He always has a little bit of magic in him, and I thought he brought that out tonight to help us get the win.”
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