Jamaica snatch last-minute CONCACAF U20 draw with Panama
Jamaica’s Under-20 Reggae Boyz staged a dramatic late comeback to draw 2-2 with Panama in the CONCACAF U20 Championship Group C on Wednesday in Puebla, Mexico. Trailing 2-0 after 22 minutes, they equalised through Jaquan Brown in added time, keeping their quarterfinal hopes alive on four points.
Key Takeaways
- Jamaica fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Panama at Estadio Universitario BUAP.
- Jaquan Brown headed home the equaliser in added time from a Jamione Lyle free kick.
- The Young Reggae Boyz sit on four points; Panama have one from two games.
- It was Jamaica’s second straight stoppage-time goal after Brandon Bent’s winner versus Honduras.
- Top-two finishers and the two best third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals.
How did Jamaica snatch a late CONCACAF U20 draw?
Panama, desperate for a result after a 3-0 loss to Canada, raced into a 2-0 lead inside 22 minutes. Moisés Richards scored in the 13th minute and Carlos Rodriguez added another in the 22nd, putting the Central Americans firmly in control at Estadio Universitario BUAP in Puebla, Mexico.
It nearly got worse for Jamaica when Panama found the net again in the 36th minute, only for VAR to wipe out the goal. That reprieve kept the Young Reggae Boyz within reach heading into the break and the second half.
Jahmarie Nolan, who had opened the scoring in Jamaica’s earlier 2-1 win over Honduras, pulled one back in the 62nd minute. Then, on the final play of the contest, Jaquan Brown headed in a free kick from second-half substitute Jamione Lyle to snatch a 2-2 draw — the kind of late twist that fuels Celebrity Breaking News buzz.
Where do the Young Reggae Boyz stand in Group C?
According to the Jamaica Observer, the point lifted Jamaica to four in Group C, one clear of Canada, who still had Honduras to play in the next Group C fixture. Panama sit on a single point from two matches.
Jamaica also ranked third overall across the CONCACAF U20 groups at that stage, behind only the United States and Mexico, both of whom had won their first two games. The draw kept their path to the knockout rounds intact rather than slamming the door shut after a two-goal deficit.
Coaches made one change to the starting XI, with Che Gardner of Stockport County replacing Sean Leighton. The lineup included Joshua Grant, Jaquan Brown, Jahmarie Nolan, Jermaine Young, Jabarie Howell, Jahmani Bell, Che Gardner, Duwayne Burgher, Santana Headley, Kimarly Scott and Brandon Bent.
Why does this result matter for the 2027 U20 World Cup?
The CONCACAF U20 Championship is more than a regional title chase. As the Jamaica Gleaner noted ahead of the Panama fixture, the top two in each group plus the two best third-place teams reach the quarterfinals, and the four semifinalists earn automatic berths to the 2027 U20 World Cup in Azerbaijan.
That context sharpens every late goal. Jamaica had already shown late-game steel when Brandon Bent struck in the fifth minute of added time to beat Honduras 2-1 after Jahmarie Nolan’s 22nd-minute opener and a Honduras equaliser with 15 minutes left. Bent said afterward the side would not dwell on that win and would keep pushing against strong remaining opponents.
Brown’s header against Panama extended that pattern: another last-gasp moment, another rescued result, and another step toward keeping World Cup qualifying hopes alive through the CONCACAF U20 route.