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Gold Cup: Jamaica Beats Canada, One Match Away from Another Final

In one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament, Jamaica beat Canada 2-1 and is now one match away from another Gold Cup final. 

SI Staff

Gold Cup: Jamaica Beats Canada, One Match Away from Another Final
Gold Cup: Jamaica Beats Canada, One Match Away from Another Final /

In an entertaining affair at  University of Phoenix Stadium, the Reggae Boyz defeated Canada 2-1 and secured a spot in the Gold Cup semi-finals.

Octavio Zambrano's squad kept pushing and controlling most of the action, but knew Jamaica could punish any mistakes and counter in the blink of an eye. The last time Canada was in the quarterfinals was in 2009 when it was also eliminated at this stage of the tournament.

The first goal came from Montreal Impact defender Shaun Francis, who scored a powerful first-time shot in the early stages of the first half for Jamaica.

Romario Williams secured the second goal in the 50th minute, after Canada's back line gave him a lot of time on the ball. He proceeded to punish them with a beautiful curling effort and make it 2-0.

Junior Hoilett, born to Jamaican parents, got one back for Canada in the 61st minute with one of the best goals of the competition so far, as just like Williams, the defensive unit backed off and gave him time to adjust. Regardless, it takes something special to go past Andre Blake and that's exactly what Hoilett did.

He almost added a second tally with another audacious attempt, but Blake would not lose this battle, as Philadelphia Union's goalkeeper tipped it over for a corner.

Canada pushed for an equalizer but Jamaica kept strong and secured a spot in the final four, and a chance to reach the finals for a second consecutive tournament.

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