Jamaica had a historical edge in this clash, previous winners of the Konami Cup with an enormous list of achievements to their credit in recent years. France, however, had been in terrific form all tournament and had qualified for the play-offs ahead of Jamaica, and had enjoyed a week off after the 5-0 annihilation of Belgium. A classic clash was expected from two of the world’s finest teams. Early signs did not indicate that a classic was on the cards, as both teams fought hard for every ball but few openings appeared in the watertight defences. It was typical play-off football, with both teams seemingly more afraid of losing than desperate to win. Halftime came and there had been no goals and little attractive football, but the pressure was almost unbearable. Something had to give, and it was France who came out to play football early in the second spell. Their endeavour was rewarded in the 60th minute, when a superb pass from Vikash Dhorasoo was met by a quality Christophe Dugarry finish, and the final loomed. Jamaica however epitomise the never say die attitude and can never be counted out in any situation. Unsurprisingly, they looked to their stars for inspiration, with Nibblet Jones in particular singled out for huge defensive pressure from the French. With only 3 minutes to go France could almost touch that grand final place, when suddenly it was snatched away from them, and in spectacular fashion. Kurt Christensen swung in a speculative cross, which was met by a back-peddling Bobbins Henry 12 yards from goal. Henry’s header was hit with little power, but looped majestically over Fabian Barthez, who stood rooted to the spot, helpless, as the ball nestled in the corner of the net. Like Greece, France had conceded a late equaliser, but could they bounce back like Greece in extra-time? The whistle went to conclude the 90 minutes, and the answers to all the questions were about to be unveiled. Within 9 minutes, the game was all over. France had failed to regroup after Henry’s goal, and it was the goal scorers cross that led to their demise. The obvious target was Nibblet Jones, but instead the ball sailed to the unmarked Christensen, whose header lacked Nibblet-like authority and was well blocked by Barthez. However, the big striker was on hand to show the youngster how it was done, as he hammered the ball emphatically into the empty net, setting off wild celebrations throughout Jamaica. Konami Cup organisers celebrated as well, as the new play-off format had led to the dream final- an old firm clash between Jamaica and Greece.
Jamaica 2 France 1 |
