CHORRERA, Panama — For 45 minutes the Jamaican World Cup dream was as tangible as the heavy humidity in Panama. But at the final whistle it was the Canadian players who danced and partied after a resounding 4-2 victory.

The Jamaicans, some sobbing in distress, lay on the outfield wondering what could have been, as they disappointingly surrendered a 2-1 half-time advantage.

In the end, they fell to an agonising defeat to Canada in the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship quarter-final game at the Estadio Muquita Sanchez here yesterday.

The enterprising and hard-working Khallil Stewart scored for Jamaica in the fifth and 43rd minutes to ensure the Jamaicans entered the interval with the lead.

However, Andrew Gordon (37th minute) and Hanson Boakai (61th minute) pulled the Sean Fleming-conditioned Canada into the match with opportunistic goals.

The Canadians never looked back thereafter, as the Jamaican defence capitulated astonishingly in the second half, as the North Americans rampantly dominated proceedings.

The early moments of the game were a lot different, as the versatile I’ishmale Currie — who was deployed as a strike partner to Michael Seaton instead of the midfield position he started at in Jamaica’s opening game against Panama — created the opening goal.

The strongly built player used his strength to hold off a couple of challenges before sliding a pass onto Stewart.

The slim-framed Stewart controlled stealthily and dribbled away from his marker before crisply striking a 10-yard grounder past Canadian goalkeeper Marco Carducci.

After scoring, Jamaica, guided by experienced youth coach Wendell Downswell, sat back deep and tried to hit the Canada team on the counter-attack. The tactic proved risky as Canada built up pressure and almost unlocked the Jamaican defence on a few occasions.

Canada hit the upright just after the half-hour mark when Marco Bustos unleashed a thumping left-footer from outside the 18-yard box that beat Nicholas Nelson in goal.

That warning was not taken and Canada pulled level when a ball over the top of the centre of the defence was headed onto the post before Gordon bundled over the line.

The Jamaicans were to reply six minutes after and hold the half-time lead.

Stewart, hanging in a left-sided position, picked up a pass from Junior Flemmings and cut in-field while outfoxing two Canadian players with nifty dribbling before blazing a 23-yard right-footer that took a deflection on its way into the goal.

Moments after coming onto the field as a substitute, Canada’s Jordan Hamilton crossed for the tricky Boakai to boot in his rebounded effort that came back off the upright in the 61st minute.

A mere 15 minutes before the end, Jamaica gave up yet another rebound that led to the third goal when custodian Nelson acrobatically blocked a point-blank effort from Gordon, but could not stop the attacker’s booted follow-up.

Lackadaisical defending let in Canada for a fourth as Hamilton rose unchallenged to head home Bustos’ cross in the 79th minute.

That fourth goal effectively consigned the Jamaicans to defeat. In the process, they missed the chance to become the first age-group team in the country’s history to qualify for consecutive World Cups.

TEAMS: Jamaica — Nicholas Nelson, Oneil Anderson, Rushane McClymont, Imani Beckford, Tyshan Hill, Seigle Knight (Malcolm Stewart 85th), Martin Davis (Malcolm Dixon 46th), Khallil Stewart, Junior Flemmings, I’ishmale Currie, Michael Seaton (Raffique Bryan 80th)

Subs not used: Donald Francis, Nathaniel Leslie, John Levee, Zachary Jones, Maalique Foster

Booked: Anderson (30th)

Canada — Marco Carducci, Elias Roubus, Alexander Comsia, Derick Sequeira (Mikael Centave 51st), Marco Bustos, Hanson Boakai (Ali Musse 90th), Jordan Haynes, Kevon Black, Ian Fernandes, Andrew Gordon, Matthew Chow (Jordan Hamilton 59th)

Subs not used: Daniel Milton, Mathieu Laurent, Aron Mkungilwa, Jose Lopez, Mehdi Brahim

Booked: None

Referee: Juan Guzman (US)

Assistant Referees: Peter Manikowski (US), Juan Lemus (Guat)

Fourth Official: Christophel Stewart (Guy)

Match Commissary: Ruperto Vicente (Bel)