West Ham star Michail Antonio struggles as Jamaica collapse in Copa America
West Ham striker Michail Antonio cut an isolated figure as Jamaica were beaten 3-0 by Venezuela in the 2024 Copa America.
The Irons attacker led the line in a 3-4-2-1 formation and had a half-chance in the 40th minute, but the Reggae Boyz were put to the sword in the second half as Venezuela seized control of the match.
That one effort from distance was as good as it got for Antonio, who faded further and further out of the game before being replaced in attack by Shamar Nicholson after 67 minutes.
It’s a defeat which leaves Jamaica rock-bottom of Group B without a single point after three games, heading home winless having scored once and conceded seven times at the other end.
Michail Antonio returns to East London after dismal Copa America
Jamaica were already staring down the barrel of Group B elimination going into their final match, having already lost 1-0 to Mexico and 3-1 to Ecuador, in which Antonio scored their only goal of the tournament.
Against Venezuela – who topped the group with maximum points – Antonio did still achieve a respectable SofaScore rating of 7.0 but was practically non-existent in the opposition box.
His solitary effort on goal mustered just 0.02 xG, and he registered the same expected assists (xA) score having played one key pass earlier in the match.
While winning five of his seven ground duels and completing two successful dribbles, Antonio, known for his prowess in the air, won just one of three contested headers, a rate of just 33 per cent.
Furthermore, the Irons frontman lost possession seven times having had just a meagre 28 touches in total throughout his 67 minutes – equalling his passing accuracy of 75 per cent (12 from 16).
That low number of touches shows just how off the pace Jamaica were in their 3-0 thrashing, and the Reggae Boyz will now return home early after a Copa America campaign to forget.
Antonio’s likely final campaign at the London Stadium is set to begin in the coming days as pre-season begins, but new head coach Julen Lopetegui is already minded to be looking for upgrades on both the 34-year-old and his counterpart Danny Ings this summer [Daily Mail, 18 June].
Based on Antonio’s latest Copa America showing for Jamaica, you can hardly blame Lopetegui for looking for attacking reinforcements in the transfer market [SportsLens, 8 May].
In other West Ham news, the club have released six players from one of their squads.
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