Jamaica's striker Fabian Taylor scored in the first half for the Reggae Boyz. - file

so kon po, hong kong (cmc)

Jamaica produced a perfect five goals in a penalty shoot-out to beat the Hong Kong League XI in the opening game of the four-team Lunar New Year Cup Knockout tournament yesterday.

Fabian Taylor's first-half goal placed Jamaica in front for a huge chunk of the match, but ace St. Kitts and Nevis international striker Keith Gumbs grabbed a late equaliser for the local League XI that sent the game into penalty kicks at the Hong Kong National Stadium.

Fladimir Freitas had his kick saved but all five Jamaicans were on target with their efforts to secure a spot in Wednesday's final against China, who beat Australia 2-0 in yesterday's other match.

The Lunar New Year Cup celebrates the first day of the Chinese New Year and is one of the most prestigious events on the Hong Kong sporting calendar.

Fairly solid

The Jamaicans, under the guidance of new technical director Bora Milutinovic, played a fairly- solid game and grabbed the lead three minutes before the half-time break when Kavin Bryan whipped an excellent cross inside the box from the right, and Taylor placed an accurate header out of the reach of goalkeeper Chunhui Zhang.

Jamaica had also gone close when Nicholy Finlayson smashed a fierce right-footer from outside the box that pounded the post.

Hong Kong pressed forward determinedly to tie the game and earned the equaliser in the 79th minute when Gumbs used his thigh to deflect a ball crossed from the right into the goal past Jamaican keeper Richard McCallum.

Gumbs has been a successful forward for top club Kitchee in the Hong Kong League since 2004.

The 34-year-old former Newtown FC star player in St. Kitts, scored his penalty kick with a firm shot to McCallum's left, and Gerard Ambassa Guy and Sai Ho Cheung also scored for the Hong Kong XI.

Flawless kickers

But the Jamaican kickers were flawless from Finlayson's opening effort to the end.

Adrian Reid, Jermaine Taylor, Demar Phillips and Lovel Palmer followed Finlayson with well- placed kicks that sent the Jamaicans into the final.

An own-goal by Australian defender Robert Cornwaite and Ning Jiang's blast from outside the box in the 86th minute, sank the Aussies, who will now play the Hong Kong XI in the third-place play-off on Wednesday before Jamaica and China clash for the Lunar Cup.

Except for the Hong Kong XI, the teams are National Under-23s and using the tournament as preparation for the Olympic Games next year in Beijing for which the Chinese as hosts are automatic qualifiers.

The nucleus of the Jamaica team is the Olympic qualifying squad, beefed up by six seniors.