Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz secured a 2-2 draw against South Korea in their friendly match on Tuesday at Mardan Stadium in Antalya, Turkey.
The match was South Korea’s second of three friendlies scheduled in Antalya, where their pre-World Cup training camp is located.
The South Koreans, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, defeated Moldova 1-0 last Saturday.
Reggae Boyz scored first
On Tuesday, the Reggae Boyz, ranked 55th in the latest FIFA rankings, achieved an early lead against the 59th ranked South Koreans when Dane Kelly took advantage of poor defensive work to fire a left-footed shot into the goals.
Although trailing, South Korea took control of the match for the remainder of the first half but couldn’t find the back of the net.
South Korea’s best chance came in the 28th when Lee Jae-sung’s header crashed into the post and three minute before that miss, Lee Chang-min’s right-footed shot went straight to goalkeeper Amal Knight.
South Korea takes lead
South Korea dominance finally paid off in the 55th minute when towering striker Kim Shin-wook met a Choi Chul-soon cross to level the score. Seven minutes later, Kim Shin-wook headed down Jung Woo-young’s cross for a 2-1 lead.
Jamaica equalizes
Jamaica, however, didn’t go down easily. In the 72nd minute, Maalique Foster unleashed a right-footed screamer from just outside the box that left goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu helpless.
Second-half substitute Lee Seung-ki nearly gave South Korea a lead in the 84th, but his effort was blocked by a Jamaican defender in front of the net.
South Korea are in Turkey fine-tuning their preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup this summer. South Korea are drawn with Germany, Mexico and Sweden in Group F at the World Cup in Russia.
