From The Gleaner

As one locally based player moved from outcast to lifesaver during Tuesday night’s CONCACAF Hexagonal World Cup Qualifying match against Costa Rica inside the National Stadium, another descended from saviour to villain.

Jermaine ‘Tuffy’ Anderson, who after being overlooked for a number of games, popped up to score a stoppage-time equaliser for the Reggae Boyz against the Costa Ricans.

Goalkeeper Richard McCallum, Anderson’s clubmate, was Jamaica’s best player in the first half.

The Waterhouse shot-stopper had pulled off two spectacular saves in the opening stanza to deny Costa Rica’s captain and dangerman, Bryan Ruiz, and also commanded his goal area with great efficiency.

However, he flirted with danger one time too many in the second half, as he opted for a short pass rather than going long. On this occasion, he aimed a pass at Adrian Mariappa, but the defender seemed not to have expected the ball, which was picked off by Randall Brenes. To compound matters for McCallum, Brenes beat him with a fairly tame shot at his near post to score.

“As a goalkeeper, you have to take some amount of responsibility for goals you concede,” McCallum said after the match. “Tonight, I think I made a mess of that fairly soft kick, but nevertheless I am pleased with my performance.

“I have to take some licks for getting beaten at my near post, but nevertheless, I thought I gave a fair performance.”

McCallum believes a ‘clash of culture’ in playing styles was to be blamed for him opting for short passes outside of his area on multiple occasions, as opposed to kicking the ball long upfield.

“Being around these new players, it takes a little bit of time to blend in and to find out how they want the ball,” argued McCallum, who was only drafted into the squad after No. 1 Donovan Ricketts was suspended and usual replacement Dwayne Miller sustained an injury.

“A lot of these English players want the long ball; in Jamaica, we tend to play it short and try to knock it around a little bit. The Costa Ricans tried to close me down a bit and I do hesitate at times to play the long ball,” he explained.

The team’s head coach praised McCallum’s first-half effort and symphatised with his error in judgement.

“In the first half, one of our best men was the goalkeeper, he was fantastic,” Schäfer expressed. “The second half, in the last 20 minutes he (McCallum) was to play the ball long to our strikers, and then in a one-against-one situation he played the ball to our defender and he was under pressure. But it’s OK, I am proud of my team.”

McCallum said had it not been for the blunder, they might have own.

“I have been in international games before, but not at this level in terms of World Cup Qualifiers,” McCallum shared. “The performance was fair; I would definitely give myself a pass mark. We could have probably come away with the win, but it’s unfortunate I conceded that goal.”

McCallum was pleased Anderson saved his blushes; and that the striker finally got to realise his dream of playing and scoring in a World Cup Qualifier.

“I almost cried, to be honest. Jermaine has been consistent through the last two seasons, and tonight it speaks to how he has performed over the years. I am really happy for him,” McCallum stated. “Hats off to Jermaine Anderson, he actually rescued Jamaica tonight and we are very happy for that.”

PHOTO: Jamaica’s Lloyd Doyley and Costa Rica’s Junior Diaz (No.15) battle for the ball during the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying football match at the National Stadium on Tuesday night. The game ended 1-1. – Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

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