Winfried Schäfer got one over fellow German manager Jürgen Klinsmann as Jamaica recorded a surprise win over defending champions USA in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup. The "Reggae Boyz" defeated the hosts 2-1 in Atlanta and will meet Mexico on Sunday night/Monday morning (01:30 CEST) in the final, after they also won their semi-final against Panama after extra time.
Darren Mattocks and Giles Barnes gave Jamaica a 2-0 lead in the first half. Former Gladbach midfielder Michael Bradley then pulled one back for the hosts shortly after half time, but his goal wasn’t enough to stop the USA crashing out of the tournament.
Schäfer: "We’ll play some Bob Marley after the final"
"There’s no time for celebration yet, there’s still one game left to play," said Schäfer after his team’s unexpected victory. "We’ll play some Bob Marley after the final." He also added on Twitter: "I’ve been in football for over 40 years, I’ve seen everything there is to see, but believe me: I will never forget this night. Thank you to everyone!"
Meanwhile, Klinsmann also tweeted: "Thanks to our fantastic fans for all your support in Atlanta!" He then added: "We lost because we conceded two goals, it’s that simple. But we had enough chances to score three, four or five goals and to win the game. It’s bad luck, but that’s the reality. We have to accept it."
In the second semi-final, Panama led through Román Torres but Andrés Guardado levelled for Mexico in the tenth minute of stoppage time, before they took the lead at the end of the first half of extra time – both times after controversial penalty decisions. "We were robbed," said Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez. The referee had to be escorted from the field by police patrol.
Winfried Schäfer got one over fellow German manager Jürgen Klinsmann as Jamaica recorded a surprise win over defending champions USA in the semi-finals of the Gold Cup. The "Reggae Boyz" defeated the hosts 2-1 in Atlanta and will meet Mexico on Sunday night/Monday morning (01:30 CEST) in the final, after they also won their semi-final against Panama after extra time.
Darren Mattocks and Giles Barnes gave Jamaica a 2-0 lead in the first half. Former Gladbach midfielder Michael Bradley then pulled one back for the hosts shortly after half time, but his goal wasn’t enough to stop the USA crashing out of the tournament.
Schäfer: "We’ll play some Bob Marley after the final"
"There’s no time for celebration yet, there’s still one game left to play," said Schäfer after his team’s unexpected victory. "We’ll play some Bob Marley after the final." He also added on Twitter: "I’ve been in football for over 40 years, I’ve seen everything there is to see, but believe me: I will never forget this night. Thank you to everyone!"
Meanwhile, Klinsmann also tweeted: "Thanks to our fantastic fans for all your support in Atlanta!" He then added: "We lost because we conceded two goals, it’s that simple. But we had enough chances to score three, four or five goals and to win the game. It’s bad luck, but that’s the reality. We have to accept it."
In the second semi-final, Panama led through Román Torres but Andrés Guardado levelled for Mexico in the tenth minute of stoppage time, before they took the lead at the end of the first half of extra time – both times after controversial penalty decisions. "We were robbed," said Panama coach Hernan Dario Gomez. The referee had to be escorted from the field by police patrol.
