Bermuda 2 Jamaica 4 The dream may have died, but the vision lives on.

Bermuda's gallant Under-17s may have fallen to the Jamaicans at the National Sports Centre last night, but coach Kenny Thompson believes this is only the start of something big.

Having gone a goal down in the 27th minute after a defensive lapse let in Richard West, Bermuda equalised through a penalty 15 minutes into the second period.

Referee Michael Kennedy adjudged Damon Swan to have been brought down in the box and if there had been a roof on the stadium it would have been raised when Curt Stovell planted the ball in the back of the net.

That brought the home side, who had been given the run-around to some extent by the more physical, more aggressive Jamicans to life.

But just as it looked as if Thompson's team might be headed for St Louis in the next round -- a draw being enough to send them through -- the Reggae Boyz well and truly spoilt the party in the space of two minutes.

Firstly Vivian Malcolm fired home after a bad clearance fell to him in the box and then Andre Whyte danced through the defence before slipping the ball under the advancing 'keeper Jason Williams -- clearly the man of the match after making a string of superlative saves during the contest.

Heads visibly dropped after this quick-fire double salvo and worse was to come five minutes from time when West notched his second, again from close range.

The home side did give the score an air of respectability in the last few seconds -- Domico Coddington converting a spot-kick he himself had won.

Until Jamaica killed off the game, Thompson felt victory was there for the taking.

"We were very close. I thought we performed well. When the second goal went in maybe the boys dropped their heads a little bit and lost their concentration. When you drop your head a little bit a bad situation turns into a worse situation and you drop your head a little further and it turns into a catastrophic situation,'' he said.

"But up until the second goal I thought that we could do it. We played well in the first-half except for one defensive lapse. I thought once the ball was played backwards the defenders didn't move out and take the Jamaican attackers away from the goal. When the ball was immediately played back in they were very close to the goal and it fell for them.'' Thompson said the Reggae Boyz made for a formidable opposition when they were on their game.

"This Jamaican team is a very, very good team -- technically, in tactical awareness and physically and it was so difficult for our team. But we hung in there and it was just near the end that things started to drop off a bit,'' he said.

So many people turned up to watch the match that fans were still trying to get in long after kick-off. That, said Thompson, illustrated just what his players had achieved this week.

"I have told them they are definitely the football leaders and an example of the type of things that can be accomplished,'' he said.

"They have captivated the entire country like no other team has done before.

Look at the crowd that was here tonight, it's incredible.'' Bermuda: J.Williams; S.Deshield; J.Simons; C.Moulder; D.Coddington; K.Outerbridge; D.Swan; C.Stovell; K.Butterfield (L.Marshall, 57); R.Nesbitt (J.Davis, 64); J.Raynor (J.Butterfield, 51).

Jamaica: R.McCallum; C.Lewis; J.Montaque; M.Johnson; C.Pickersgill; C.Hunt; L.Williams; O.White (J.Hardy, 46); S.Bucknor (A.Whyte, 64); R.West; V.Malcolm (D.Stewart, 85).

Bookings: J.Simons (Bermuda); C.Hunt (Jamaica).

Men of the match: J.Williams (Bermuda); R.West (Jamaica).

Referee: M.Kennedy (USA).

Under-17 World Cup Qualifying Tournament P W D L F A Pts Jamaica 3 3 0 0 10 1 9 Bermuda 3 2 0 1 8 4 6 Netherlands Antilles 3 0 1 2 2 8 1 Barbados 3 0 1 2 2 9 1