On the surface, neither team had a lot to play for coming into the last round of group games, as Venezuela had already secured a Round of 16 berth and Jamaica were already eliminated. However, La Vinotinto looked eager to finish the group stage on top, as they knew a draw would’ve been enough to secure first place in Group B and a matchup against Canada in the quarterfinals.
Fernando Batista’s men looked more threatening and dominated possession, though they lacked scoring opportunities to inflict damage to the Reggae Boyz’s.
Salomon Rondon and Eduard Bello were Venezuela’s most dangerous players, but the Vinotinto side didn’t have a clear chance throughout the opening 45 minutes outside of an attempt from Rondon in the 38th minute, but his effort went sailing over the crossbar, and a cross from Darwin Machis that was tipped over the bar by Jahmali White.
The same thing happened with Jamaica, though, and outside of a few attempts from Michail Antonio, the CONCACAF side also lacked creativity in the final third. Under those circumstances, it wasn’t surprising to see the first half end in a dull stalemate, as both teams combined for just one total shot on target before half time.
Venezuela’s slight supremacy during the first half continued into the after the interval and soon that control resulted in a goal when Bello appeared out of nowhere on the back post to nod a Jon Aramburu cross home from very close range just four minutes into the second half.
Rondon would double the team’s lead after a one-on-one finish past White following a clever assist from Yangel Herrera in the 55th minute, erasing any chance of a potential Jamaica comeback.
Venezuela didn’t step their foot off the gas and attempted to score a third goal, and substitute Eric Ramirez achieved that in the dying stages of the contest against a Jamaican side that didn’t even try to offer resistance in the final 20 minutes.
La Vinotinto made history with this win, marking the first time in the nation’s history that they won all three games in a Copa América group stage while also setting up a quarterfinals clash against Canada at AT&T Stadium on Friday.
Meanwhile, Jamaica end their campaign pointless and with several doubts ahead of their immediate future, as it was proven they simply don’t have enough quality to compete with CONMEBOL teams yet.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Yangel Herrera (Venezuela)