Blake: It will be tough, but we need to win
Published:Saturday | March 28, 2026 | 12:06 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
The Reggae Boyz overcame their first hurdle in the FIFA intercontinental play-offs in Mexico, after beating New Caledonia 1-0 in the semi-final on Thursday, to advance to Tuesday’s final against Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) with the winners guaranteed a place in this summer’s World Cup.
Goalkeeper and captain Andre Blake had another standout performance for his team, but he believes the team lost its balance a bit after coach Rudolph Speid made a number of substitutions in the last 20 minutes of the game. According to Blake they are still finding their feet as a group and will be working to get things right for the crucial clash against DR Congo.
“You felt it (lost synchronisation). The team is still fairly new. We had two guys making their debut and we know in football you need time, you need continuity.
“So we are trying our best to see how we can expedite the process of getting everybody on the same page,” he said.
The Reggae Boyz went into the game as big favourites, but Blake thought their opponents made it difficult for them.
“They are a good team, they can play, but we did a good job defending and limiting their chances, and we are just happy for the win. We could have scored a couple more goals, but we are grateful for the win,” he said.
Bailey Cadamarteri scored the game’s only goal 18 minutes into the match, and the Jamaican goalkeeper, described it as a great moment.
“It was a great moment to see the ball go into the back of the net. A happy moment, because we know that once we scored first we would be in a good position to keep going.”
Jamaica had two debutants on the night in Ephron Mason-Clarke and Andre Brooks and Blake noted that everyone in the team welcomed them and have all helped them to feel a part of the group.
“You have to make everybody feel welcome. You have to make people feel comfortable as people perform at their best when they are comfortable. Once we get them in we have got to let them know that ‘listen if you weren’t good enough you wouldn’t be here.’ So we give them that confidence, we give them that comfort and allow them to do their thing,” he commented.
He added that the final against DR Congo is expected to be a difficult one, but they only have one thing on their minds and that is to win.
“It’s going to be a tough game. There are something we are going to have to work on, but the next one, it doesn’t matter how, we just need to win the game and we are looking forward to it, “ he stated.