MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Jamaica’s record at football in Mexico is appalling, to say the very least.

And heading into Wednesday’s CONCACAF Final Round World Cup opener here at the much-feared Estadio Azteca, not many gave them a ghost of a chance of earning anything but a battering.

However, after the gallant and disciplined Reggae Boyz forced the Mexican supporters into a standing ovation at game’s end, in addition to raining ‘boos’ on their players after a 0-0 stalemate, assistant head coach Alfredo Montesso has declared that the technical staff is anything but surprised by the team’s performance.

“For us it was not a surprise,” Montesso told the Jamaica Observer shortly after the team’s return to its Radisson Paraiso Hotel after the game.

“… not with the performance, and not the commitment because we could see the vibes in training and at the hotel, and right after the game tonight (Wednesday) we told them that we need to keep our feet on the ground, we need to understand that we are just at the beginning, and we have to improve our performance because there were circumstances in the game that we never handled so well, but it is coming with time.”

The Brazilian noted that though the Boyz earned a valuable point to be in joint second place with Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, who played out a 2-2 result, and two points adrift of early leaders Honduras, who clipped the USA 2-1, the result could have even been better, as crazy as that sounds.

“It happened this way, but it could have been better. It could have been excellent if we capitalised on the chances that we had, but anyway what I saw was a committed team,” noted Montesso.

Though the visitors were dominated in possession by the home team, it was actually they who created the two easiest chances.

The first fell to Jobi McAnuff in the eighth minute of play, and the second fell for Ryan Johnson on minute 68. In between Jamaican skipper and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts was called on to make at least five saves, including two from Manchester United’s star striker Javier ‘Chicharito” Hernandez.

Jermaine Johnson did well on the right to hustle a defender off the ball before relaying a quick pass to Garath McCleary. The Reading FC wide players employed neat ‘step-overs’ to weave his way past a couple defenders before making a pinpoint cross to his Reading FC captain McAnuff, who sliced his right-footed effort well out of the reach of Jesus Corona’s outstretched arms. However, the ball rebounded off the inside of the past and fell kindly for McAnuff, who reacted quickly but scuffed the rebound back into the grateful arms of Corona, who was hopelessly out of it at the far post.

And just over the hour-mark Ryan Johnson was sent clear after eluding a sliding challenge by Carlos Salcido, but faced one-on-one with Corona, he squeezed his left-footed effort into the goalkeeper’s midrift.

There were other opportunities which the Boyz did not capitalise on, but Montesso explained that’s what impressed him most was the organisation of the team.

“I was most impressed with the organisation of the team and how they followed the instructions that we passed to them,” he said. “We shut down the wings, as especially in the first half we were giving them too much space on the right side with Giovani (Dos Santos) and Paul Aguilar, which gave Mexico some good moments.

“In the second half, we closed the spaces a little bit more and forced them to take decisions and this is what has impressed me so much because some of them are playing together for the first time and they were able to manage themselves, while at the same time communicate among themselves.”

The assistant coach opined that the much-feared altitude didn’t affect the team significantly.

“The altitude affected them a little bit towards the end of the game, but I don’t believe it was a major factor as much as we thought before and with the modern preparation today they performed much better.

“I thought what we saw at the end was a player like Ryan Johnson, who is in preseason, felt it a little bit more, so a guy like Garath, who was overworked because we didn’t mark that well on his side and it created a little problem.”

Montesso was also full of praise for the UK contingent now in the team.

“I think they are a great addition to the team, not only because they are professionals and they are playing first division in UK, but those guys they brought friendliness, they brought leadership, you could see McAnuff talking to the guys inside the field… this is what we have been saying to them, we need more captains on the field, we need more captains to spread the philosophy in the game and to communicate with each other, but these guys came with a very positive approach and the whole team embraced each other and I think the chemistry is improving,” the Brazilian added.

And while cautioning the players that the battle has just begun, he believes that Jamaica will now become a target of the other countries.

“We have to focus on facing even more difficult games from now and Panama will not come easy to Jamaica, they will come for a hard game and every game we play if we play the way that we played today, I believe we will gain more respect from the other teams.”

In the end it was a historic feat, especially when one considers that the team, with two debutantes, and two players on their second cap, had just two sessions of practice.

Teams: — Donovan Ricketts (captain), Nyron Nosworthy, Adrian Mariappa, Demar Phillips, Jermaine Taylor, Marvin Elliott, Rodolph Austin, Joel McAnuff, Garath McCleary (Omar Daley 84th), Jermaine Johnson (Theo Robinson 54th), Ryan Johnson (Tramaine Stewart 80th).

Jamaica

Booked: Jermaine Johnson (45th+)

Subs not used: Dwayne Miller, Duwayne Kerr, Damion Stewart, Alvas Powell, Jason Morrison, Jermaine Hue, Je-Vaughn Watson, Dane Richards, Andre Lewis

Mexico — Jesus Corona, Javier Rodriquez (captain), Carlos Salcido, Hector Herrera (Angel Reyna 67th), Giovani Dos Santos (Javier Aquino 46th), Javier Hernandez, Hector Moreno, Andres Guardado, Oribe Peralta, Jorge Torres, Paul Aguilar

Booked: Moreno (90th+)

Subs not used: Alfredo Talavera, Cirilo Saucedo, Diego Reyes, Hugo Ayala, Severo Meza, Javier Aquino, Jesus Molina, Fernando Arce, Marco Fabian, Angel Reyna, Aldo De Nigris, Darvin Chavez

Referee: Mark Geiger (USA)

Assistants: Mark Sean Hurd (USA), Joseph Fletcher (Canada)

Fourth Official: Edvin Jurisevic (USA)

Referee Assessor: Stanley Darville (Bahamas)

Match Commissary: Joseph Ramirez Rojas (Costa Rica)