CARSON, California (AP) — Jamaica recorded its biggest ever win in a CONCACAF Gold Cup game, beating Grenada 4-0 on Monday.
In the day’s other Group B game, Guatemala hung on for a 0-0 draw against Honduras despite being reduced to nine men for the final 11 minutes.
Jamaica’s Luton Shelton, Ryan Johnson, Demar Phillips and Keammar Daley all scored in a game the Reggae Boyz dominated, to the extent that goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts did not need to make a save.
Shelton, of Norwegian club Valerenga, scored in the 21st minute after collecting Rodolph Austin’s pass from the left.
Johnson, who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes, scored in the 39th minute.
Phillips, another of several Jamaicans based in Norway, made it 3-0 in the 79th minute and Daley drove in a 23-yard shot in the 84th.
Grenada has yet to score in losing all four of its Gold Cup games since 2009.
“We have a very good team and this is just the beginning for us,” said Johnson. “I want Jamaica to go as far as possible in this tournament.”
“We did the most important thing and that was to keep a clean sheet.”
Grenada coach Mike Adams said his team allowed Jamaica to take control.
“We had a game plan and from the (beginning) we didn’t stick to it,” Adams said. “We worked on pressuring the ball, denying the opposition time on the ball and from the (beginning) we weren’t at the races.
“We just surrendered space and time to the opposition. At the international level, we can’t afford to do that.”
Grenada’s Craig Roscastle suffered a knee injury after colliding with Jamaica’s Jason Morrison in the 42nd minute, and left the game at halftime.
In the later game, Guatemala’s Gustavo Cabrera was ejected in the 61st minute after receiving his second yellow card. Teammate Henry Medina received two yellow cards within five minutes and was expelled in the 79th minute.
“We did a job, that’s for sure,” Guatemala coach Ever Hugo Almeida said. “We wanted to recover the grit, the discipline and the desire not to lose.”
Honduras fielded five members of its 2010 World Cup squad in Monday’s game.
“It was a difficult game,” Honduras coach Luis Ferando Suarez said. “We had too much in common with our opponent and they caused us a lot of problems.”
Honduras’ Oscar Garcia came closest to scoring, htting the crossbar with an attempt in the 33rd minute.
