Jamaica vs. Mexico: Final score 1-0, Reggae Boyz head to Gold Cup final in massive upset

Jamaica is heading to the Gold Cup final for the second straight tournament, thanks to an amazing free kick by Kemar Lawrence. They avenged their loss from two years ago, beating their opponent in that final — Mexico — 1-0 on Sunday.

The Reggae Boyz will now face the United States in the final on Wednesday, in Santa Clara, California.

While Lawrence snagged the winner, the clear man of the match for Jamaica was goalkeeper Andre Blake, who had to make a half-dozen truly world class saves to keep the clean sheet for his team. But Jamaica wasn’t just under siege the whole match — despite losing the possession battle 70 percent to 30 percent, the Jamaicans matched Mexico for shots on target.

Lawrence’s winner came in the 88th minute, off a spectacular free kick. Michael Binns drew the foul on Hugo Ayala, and Lawrence delivered a sweet strike into the top corner.

Though this was Mexico’s B-team — El Tri’s stars sat out this tournament after going to Confederations Cup — they were still considered favorites in this match and were expected to make the final. Suspended coach Juan Carlos Osorio has been on the hot seat since failing to beat the USMNT in World Cup qualifying, and there will be a lot of discussion about his job security yet again.

Jamaica will go into the final knowing they’re good enough to win the Gold Cup. They beat the Americans in the semifinal in 2015, taking them apart on the counter attack en route to a 2-1 win.