“A great feeling” is how Reggae Boyz winger Demarai Gray described netting his first goal on Jamaican soil.
The 29-year-old scored his third goal for the Reggae Boyz and his first in Jamaica to help the team secure a 1-0 win over Honduras to kick off their CONCACAF Nations League Group A campaign at the National Stadium on Friday.
After a scrappy and cagey first half, the Al Ettifaq winger latched on to a through ball from Fulham midfielder, Bobby Decordova-Reid, to comfortably slot home Jamaica’s winner in the 64th minute.
“It was important that we got the three points because that’s all that matters in the end,” Gray told the media after the match.
“It wasn’t the nicest game. Credit to Honduras because they were aggressive and made it difficult for us but in the second half, we came back together and came up with a game plan. You have to be patient in these games and wait for the moment and, luckily, the moment came for me on this occasion. We’ll look back on what we did well and what we did badly and focus on the next game,” he added.
The former Everton man also described the feeling of scoring his first goal in front of the Jamaican crowd.
“Scoring in front of the fans was a great feeling but, most importantly, we take the three points. The fans came out to watch us so we needed to give them something to celebrate and we did that,” he said.
“We have to give thanks for them because without them, we’re half as strong. When we play at home, especially, we have to give our best. Jamaica as a team are going to keep growing,” he added.
Gray will hope to continue his excellent form to start his Reggae Boyz career when the Jamaicans host Haiti at the same venue on Tuesday.