Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 02/Oct 21:59

Army beat Cibao, surge into Concacaf Caribbean Cup semis

TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) holders Defence Force (seven points) qualified for the semis of the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup season when they earned a hard-fought 2-0 win away to group B winners Cibao FC (nine points) at the Estadio Cibao FC, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on October 1. Needing a positive result against Cibao and for the simultaneous group B match to go in their favour as well, Defence Force did their bit as speculative long-range shots from captain Kevin Molino and central midfielder Cassim Kellar mere minutes into either half gave them the much-needed win. Meanwhile, after the 90 minutes in the Dominican Republic, Molino and his peers had an uncomfortable wait as Weymouth Wales scored a stoppage-time goal at the Sir Garfield Sobers Complex, Barbados en route to their 2-1 win over the 2024 champions Cavalier FC (four points). Both Weymouth Wales and the Army/Coast Guard combination ended the group on seven points, with the latter's +2 goal differential just bettering the +1 goal differential of the Bajan champs. With another late goal in Barbados, Weymouth would have edged Defence Force to second spot and advance to the semifinals. However, fortune favoured interim coach Devorn Jorsling's team on this occasion and his troops now live to fight another day in the tournament. The reward for the Trinidadian club will be a two-legged semifinal clash with Jamaican powerhouse Mount Pleasant Football Academy, which topped group A after winning all four of their matches. The first leg will be played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, on October 22, with the return leg to be played at the National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica, on October 29. Molino, who scored the team's first goal of this year's tournament when they blanked Haitian outfit Juventus des Cayes 1-0 on August 21, said he and his teammates needed to redeem themselves after coming up short in the first few matches. "We had to win away from home and at a difficult place. In the three (previous) games we played, we let ourselves down, I think our approach was different tonight (October 1) in terms of playing on the front foot," the Defence Force and TT men's captain said. "As you saw, when we played on the front foot and believed, we can do great things. I'm just happy for the win and happy for the three points." The tone was set by Molino from as early as the second minute in the high-stakes affair, as he fired past the hapless dive of goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd with a low, right-footed shot from about 23 yards out. It was a dream start for Defence Force, although they were almost brought back down to earth eight minutes later when Cesarin Ortiz skimmed a right-footed shot off the bar at the other end after receiving a cut-back from the right. That was a scare for Jabari St Hillaire in the Defence Force goal, and he would have had more palpitations later in the first half when he spilled a left-side cross from Edwarlyn Reyes. The goalie's blushes were spared, though, as left back Jelani Felix came to his rescue with a timely clearance. Just as they started the opening period, the visitors mimicked that in the second half when Kellar beat Lloyd with a free kick, which took a wicked deflection off Julian Gomez in the Cibao wall. Though they had already qualified for the semis, Cibao made several changes as they tried to turn the tide in the contest. In the 58th minute, they had a strong penalty appeal turned down when referee Kimbett Ward rightfully ruled that right back Isaiah Garcia chested down a cross despite the hosts' claims for handball infringement. Defence Force forward Shaquille Bertrand had a great chance to put the game beyond Cibao's reach just six minutes later, but had his run was thwarted by Lloyd after Molino sprung him free with a through pass. Though Ortiz struck the bar in the first half, Cibao officially registered no shots on target. That didn't stop them from worrying the Defence Force backline, and they crucially had a goal waved off in the 87th minute when substitute Yunior Peralta was just found offside after a set piece fell his way. Four minutes later, Peralta had another chance but headed over bar from a left-side cross. Peralta's miss at the death proved crucial as the 2024/25 TTPFL champions moved on with a superior goal difference to Weymouth. The outgoing champs Cavalier, were knocked out after ending the five-team group in fourth. Molino acknowledged the road ahead will be tough, but said there is strong belief within the Army camp. "With the showing we gave, I'm hoping we can...continue to do great things. All credit to the guys for the effort they gave. Credit to the coaching staff for a big win and you see they're celebrating now," he said. "We still have a lot of work to do and we just want to continue working. It's a work in progress and we just want to continue working and trying to help each other to do something great." The top three teams in the Caribbean Cup will qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup, with the Caribbean winners progressing automatically to the round of 16 phase of the latter tourney. Concacaf Caribbean Cup group B: Team*GP*W*D*L*GF*GA*GD*Pts Cibao*4*3*0*1*7*3*4*9 Defence Force*4*2*1*1*5*3*2*7 Weymouth Wales*4*2*1*1*6*5*1*7 Cavalier*4*1*1*2*4*6*-2*4 Juventus des Cayes*4*0*1*3*2*7*-5*1 The post Army beat Cibao, surge into Concacaf Caribbean Cup semis appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.