Soccer-Canada beat Jamaica to end 36-year World Cup finals drought

By Steve Keating

TORONTO (Reuters) -Canada qualified for the World Cup finals for just the second time on Sunday, beating Jamaica 4-0 to book their ticket to Qatar and end 36 years of failure and heartache.

After failing to clinch a finals spot with a 1-0 away loss to Costa Rica on Thursday, Canada returned home with renewed purpose and a chance to complete the job in front of a frenzied, red-clad, flag-waving, sold-out crowd of nearly 30,000 at BMO Field.

"I'm just so pleased we didn't win in Costa Rica," said Canada coach John Herdman. "This is how it was meant to be, I know why the football gods wouldn't let us score, it was for tonight.

"We just qualified for the World Cup, this is a legit football country.

"We'll keep setting the bar, we've broke records since 2018 and we're not going to stop here."

There would be no blown second opportunity as Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan netted in the first half and Junior Hoilett added another after the break with Adrian Mariappa's own goal rounding off the scoring.

Canada will play at the World Cup for the first time since 1986 in Mexico, where they lost all three games and failed to score a goal.

"I think this country never believed in us because we've given them nothing to believe in," said Herdman. "They believe now.

"This is the time for everyone to get behind football and unite because we can be a powerhouse."

With just one round of qualifying matches remaining, Canada sit on top of the CONCACAF standings with 28 points, six clear of regional powerhouses, the United States and Mexico, who play later on Sunday, looking to secure their own Qatar places.

The top three teams in the standings automatically earn spots in November's World Cup with the fourth-placed finisher