DR Congo await as Jamaica stumble into WC playoff final

You don't often see a winning team look this worried.

But that was exactly the case with Jamaica after their narrow and deeply unconvincing 1-0 victory over New Caledonia in the semi-finals of the intercontinental World Cup playoffs.

On paper, a win. In reality, a warning.

Just 1-0 against a side made up almost entirely of amateurs. Almost, because Angelo Fulgini, formerly of FC Nantes and now playing for Al Taawoun FC, recently switched allegiance to represent his country of origin. He is, for now, the only fully professional player in the New Caledonia squad, and he nearly made history on his debut.

Early on, Fulgini struck the post with a header, inches away from delivering a shock that would have echoed far beyond the stadium.

Instead, the punishment came swiftly.

In the 18th minute, Bailey Cadamarteri pounced on a rebound after a saved free-kick to give Jamaica the lead. It looked like the beginning of a routine win, but it wasn't.

What followed was flat, cautious, and strangely lifeless. No urgency, no killer instinct. Rudolph Speid's side never kicked into a higher gear, never took risks, never truly imposed themselves. They got the job done, but nothing more. They are probably fully aware that this performance won't be enough for what comes next, and that's a showdown with DR Congo for a place at the World Cup. However, the Congolese level is much higher than the Jamaican one, which could result in a landslide triumph of the African side.

The stakes couldn't be higher - Jamaica are chasing only their second-ever World Cup appearance and the first since France 1998. DR Congo, meanwhile, are also chasing history: a return to the global stage for the first time since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.

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The other intercontinental WC playoff will feature Bolivia vs Iraq. Either Iraq will again see the lights of the biggest stage for the first time since Mexico in 1986, or Bolivia will do the same at the same place they featured the previous time in 1994, in the United States.