Nicholson hits brace as Reggae Boyz destroy Antigua and Barbuda 6-0

Shamar Nicholson's brace helped the Reggae Boyz to a perfect start in the Concacaf Nation's League Pool B, as they got the better of Antigua and Barbuda 6-0 at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall on Friday. 

The result means that Jamaica now lead Guyana on goal difference with both teams now on three point after Guyana defeated Aruba 1-0 in their match-up.

Nicholson opened the scoring for Jamaica in the ninth minute, latching onto a flicked on header, before holding off his defender and calmly slotting his shot beyond Antigua's goal-keeper to give the Jamaicans the early advantage.

That advantage would double in the 31st minute when debutant Bobby Reid got his name on the scoresheet, after being played through by Bayer Leverkusen's Leon Bailey, who made a mockery of his marker before putting the ball on a platter for Reid to finish neatly. 

The Jamaicans continued to pile on the pressure on their Caribbean neighbours, and six minutes after the restart, Nicholson found himself unmarked at the backpost to meet a lofted cross from Alvas Powell, before heading into the back of the net. 

Bryan Brown made it 4-0, 10minutes before Bailey scored his first senior international goal in the 77th minute, cutting inside after breaking away on goal and striking confidently into the top corner from the top of the box. 

Hometown boy Peter-Lee Vassell, who came on as a substitute, put the icing on the cake to make it half-a-dozen nine minutes before full time with a cool finish from inside the box. 

Assistant coach of the Reggae Boyz, Jerome Waite said they are pleased with the overall team performance. 

"One of the things we can take from this game is the way we played collectively. This is something that we continue to work as they have to understand that it is a team sport and they did pretty well," Waite said. 

"This is something that we always look forward to, not just winning, but also scoring goals. It could have been more but still, you have to give them credit. It is something we expect to build on and the more these players play, they will get better," he added.