Jamaica coach Winfried Schafer insists his side can still take the Copa America by storm.
They face Paraguay tonight after a 1-0 defeat to holders Uruguay where Cristian Rodriguez’s goal sent Jamaica to the bottom of Group B on Saturday in Chile.
They also face Argentina on Saturday but the former Al Ahli and Al Ain coach Schafer said his side can be the tournament’s surprise package.
“No one gave us a shot, everyone thought Jamaica wouldn’t win a match. But now everyone knows we can win,” he told the Jamaica federation’s website.
“After the game the players were down but we know we can beat Paraguay, maybe we can take a point against Argentina. Why not? We have to believe in ourselves.
“I’m very proud of the players and the team, we played very well. After the goal we played more aggressively. I think the players played very well for Jamaica, everyone gave 100 per cent. In South America, everyone knows that on our day we can play very well.”
Paraguay fought back from 2-0 down to draw their opening game 2-2 with Argentina, Lucas Barrios’ 90th-minute leveller earning a point.
“After this result, people will look at Paraguay differently,” striker Roque Santa Cruz said.
Argentina, though, must get their campaign back on track after that draw. They face a daunting task in Group B leaders Uruguay and another loss could end their campaign.
It is a scenario not lost on Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who said: “We fell asleep, but we have to move on, think about Uruguay and improve.
“Looking at it now, you have to say that the Uruguay match is one we absolutely have to win.”
In other games, Group C dark horses Venezuela, who have traditionally been the laughing stock of South American football – the team that never beat anyone and never won anything – defeated highly-rated Colombia 1-0.
Between 1967, when they made their Copa America debut, and 2007, when they hosted the tournament, Venezuela went 42 consecutive Copa matches without a win. In the 1975 tournament, they were humiliated 11-0 by Argentina.
At the turn of the century, the Venezuelans were a pushover. Brazil beat them 7-0 at the 1999 Copa America and 6-0 on Venezuelan soil in a World Cup qualifier the following year.
But those days are gone.
As their gutsy win on Sunday showed, Venezuela are capable of holding their own against their South American rivals.
“We took on one of the best teams in the world and we worked like little ants to make sure they didn’t surprise us,” coach Noel Sanvicente said. “We still need to improve but this historic result at the start of a Copa America is quite something.”
Sunday’s win – their fifth in 56 matches at the Copa America – sparked raucous celebrations in Venezuela, a country that has never qualified for a World Cup.
But each year brings a new milestone – last year they beat Argentina for the first time – and they face Peru in Valparaiso on Thursday looking to secure a place in the knockout stages of the competition.
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