Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz left Arnos Vale with a crucial away goal and the upper hand in their Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary clash against St Vincent and the Grenadines, thanks to a dramatic late penalty from Leon Bailey that secured a 1-1 draw on Friday.

Though the Boyz entered as favourites, the hosts proved more than a handful, as they matched the Jamaicans stride for stride and even grabbed a shock lead in the 65th minute. Oalex Anderson, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ talisman, pounced on a loose ball and raced past defenders to slot home his 14th international goal, which sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

The Reggae Boyz responded with urgency and created several half-chances. In the 51st minute, Demarai Gray’s stinging right-footer was parried by Lemus Christopher, who then denied Isaac Hayden’s follow-up attempt.

Moments later, Dexter Lembikisa thought he found the equalizer when he rifled a shot from the edge of the area, only to see it disallowed for offside, with Bailey ruled to be interfering with play.

As time slipped away, Jamaica piled on the pressure. Substitute Warner Brown’s free header sailed harmlessly over the bar, and Renaldo Cephas was denied by Christopher once again. At that point, it seemed St Vincent and the Grenadines had their first win over the Jamaicans in over two decades until the dying moments of the game.

In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Brown was brought down in the area, as he earned a lifeline for the Jamaicans. Up stepped Bailey, coolly dispatching the spot kick to salvage a draw and hand Jamaica a vital away goal ahead of Tuesday’s return leg at the National Stadium.

While the result leaves the Reggae Boyz in pole position, the spirited performance from St Vincent and the Grenadines serves as a reminder that the journey to the Gold Cup proper is far from over.