Wolves’ bid for European football was boosted by a 2-1 victory over Fulham, but it came at the expense of more injury problems.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde limped off with just over 10 minutes gone while Pedro Neto, who had been passed fit after feeling his hamstring last weekend, pulled up just before half-time clutching the back of his left thigh.
But the hosts made Fulham pay for missed opportunities, with Rayan Ait-Nouri scoring his first goal since December 2022 in the 52nd minute and Nelson Semedo adding a deflected second before Alex Iwobi grabbed a very late consolation.
The result lifts Gary O’Neil’s side up to eighth in the Premier League table in the week when it was revealed Wolves will open contract talks with their manager this summer.
Wolves’ strong form was halted by a 3-0 loss to Newcastle last time out while Fulham, looking to win at Molineux for the first time since 1985, were chasing a third Premier League victory in a row.
O’Neil was boosted by the availability of goalkeeper Jose Sa, who went off at half-time last weekend, but Craig Dawson was injured so Santiago Bueno came into the side along with Joao Gomes and 19-year-old striker Nathan Fraser, given a first start for the club.
Fulham’s good run meant the returning Joao Palhinha had to settle for a place on the bench.
With Wolves fans screaming for a foul on Fraser, Fulham went down the other end in the sixth minute and created the first chance of the game – Andreas Pereira’s shot from wide on the left pushed away by Sa.
A tight game was cut open in the 25th minute by an excellent through ball from Iwobi for Harry Wilson but, with only the keeper to beat, he opted to shoot with the outside of his left foot and sent his effort wide.
At the other end, a one-two between Ait-Nouri and Mario Lemina nearly put the full-back through before a heavy touch allowed Bernd Leno to block.
Fulham had their second golden opportunity in the 35th minute when a spell of pressure ended with Harrison Reed sending a ball across the goal for Tosin Adarabioyo, who saw his shot bounce off the top of the bar.
It was Fulham threatening again at the start of the second half, Wilson sending a curling shot just past the post.
But the first goal went the way of the home team, as substitute Toti seized on a weak header by Calvin Bassey from a Wolves free-kick and teed up Ait-Nouri, who had pushed further forward following Neto’s departure, for a confident finish high into the net.
Fulham boss Marco Silva sent on Willian and Tom Cairney for a disappointed-looking Reed and Pereira but their pursuit of an equaliser was leaving gaps at the back and Wolves grabbed their second in the 67th minute.
VAR took a look but Fraser, who had worked tirelessly throughout, was just onside when he ran onto Gomes’ pass. His attempted cross was blocked but Gomes back-heeled the ball to Semedo, whose shot beat Leno via a big deflection off Cairney.
Fulham came agonisingly close to pulling one back with 10 minutes to go, Sa pulling off an acrobatic save to deny substitute Palhinha and Max Kilman heading Rodrigo Muniz’s follow-up off the line, before Wolves old boy Adama Traore’s strong run and shot drew another stop from Sa.
Referee Tony Harrington then lost patience with visiting manager Silva and showed him a yellow card, adding to a frustrating afternoon that was barely improved by Iwobi’s stabbed effort with almost the last kick of the game.
Captain fantastic Dyllan John delivers as 10-man JC secure gritty Champions Cup quarterfinal win over McGrath
Jamaica College (JC) displayed resilience and determination to book their spot in the ISSA Champions Cup semifinals, as they overcame early adversity to secure a 2-0 victory over McGrath High in a lukewarm quarterfinal encounter at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday.
Captain Dyllan John again proved heroic, scoring both goals for his team in the 60th and 90+2 to keep their triple crown ambitions alive, as they also have the Manning Cup semi-final to contest on Wednesday.
Head coach Davion Ferguson praised his players fighting spirit in achieving their semi-final objective.
“I think the referee made a very questionable call, but the boys didn’t drop their heads. At halftime we told them that this is what we have been working on, and they dug deep, pressed McGrath a little higher, and I think that’s what paid off for us at the end. So even though it was 11 versus 10, we were still even in the sense of our quality superiority, and we made it count in the second half,” Ferguson said in a post-game interview.
His counterpart Jermaine Thomas also lauded his McGrath outfit despite their inability to capitalize on the numerical advantage.
“I thought we played well; we just never scored. I thought we created several goal-scoring opportunities...easy ones, and we stopped them from playing through the channels and breaking the lines easy. So they were playing long balls for the entire game; it is just that we never scored the chances that we got,” Thomas said.
The match began under dramatic circumstances as Jamaica College suffered a major setback in the 16th minute. Goalkeeper Taywane Lynch was shown a red card for what referee Christopher Mason deemed a handball, although replays and protests from Jamaica College suggested the ball had come off his chest while he was still inside his 18-yard box.
Despite the controversy, Jamaica College were forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 men and relied on substitute goalkeeper Adriano Kitson to step into the breach.
The numerical disadvantage did not deter the Old Hope Road boys, who reorganized defensively to keep McGrath at bay.
Both teams created half-chances in the first half, but poor finishing, particularly from McGrath, and solid defending in parts by Jamaica College ensured the game remained goalless at the break.
McGrath, sensing an opportunity to upset the favorites, started the second half brightly and should have broken the deadlock in the 53rd minute. However, Mason failed to pull the trigger from a promising position, and the chance went abegging.
Four minutes later, Nashordo Gibbs tested Orlando Griffiths with a sharp effort at the near post, but the McGrath custodian was up to the task.
John then took matters into his own hands and fired the “Dark Blues” in front at the hour mark. The talented player sporting the number seven jersey picked up possession in the attacking third, shook two defenders, and unleashed a precise right-footed strike into the far corner.
Buoyed by the goal, Jamaica College grew in confidence, even with a man down, but McGrath continued to press, and Jimm Mitchell had his 78th-minute effort deflected by Kitson.
While McGrath threw everything forward in search of an equalizer, it left them vulnerable at the back, and Jamaica College capitalized as a well-timed through ball from Dontae Logan sent John racing clear, and the captain showed his class once more, slotting a composed finish past Griffiths to seal the victory.
Reid’s double sends Ocho Rios High into ISSA Champions Cup semifinals
Keanu Reid’s clinical brace fired Ocho Rios High into the ISSA Champions Cup semifinals as they secured a 2-0 victory over debutants St Catherine High in a keenly contested quarterfinal clash at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Friday.
Reid’s strikes (42nd and 56th) were the highlights of the win achieved through a disciplined defensive display and lethal counterattacks that ensured Ocho Rios’s first-ever semifinal appearance in the all-island knockout competition, as they left St Catherine High frustrated despite their dominance in possession.
While pleased with his team’s win, Ocho Rios Head coach Veron Peterkin felt the overall performance could have been better, as he acknowledged that they were aided by St Catherine’s profligacy.
“To be fair, St Catherine missed a couple of chances behind our backline, but we were fortunate that we took ours, and we missed some as well, but we have to give credit to them. Reid is a very good player; he should have scored a bit more, but at least he scored two that gave us the win. So we just have to keep him happy and healthy as we move forward,” Peterkin said in a post-game interview.
St Catherine entered the game as slight favourites and started with intent, dominating the early exchanges. Dwight Gentles nearly gave them the lead in the opening minutes, forcing Ocho Rios goalkeeper Maleek Martin into a reflex save.
Moments later, Ronaldo Stewart’s driving run sliced through the Ocho Rios defence, but his final effort rolled agonisingly wide of the upright.
Despite numerous forays into the attacking third, St Catherine’s final product lacked precision, with Tevin Grey and Kadean Young both seeing goal-bound efforts thwarted by a resolute Ocho Rios defence and the ever-alert Martin.
While St Catherine struggled to capitalize on their opportunities, Ocho Rios executed their game plan to perfection. Sitting deep and absorbing pressure, they waited patiently for their chance to counter.
Their breakthrough eventually came in the 42nd minute, when Kaneil Brown slipped a perfectly weighted pass through to Reid, who dismissed the advancing Omarion Brown in goal for St Catherine and slotted in his 23rd goal of the season to give Ocho Rios a 1-0 lead at the break.
St Catherine came out determined in the second half and pushed hard for an equaliser which they should have had nine minutes in. This, as Lavaughn Taylor delivered a dangerous cross to Gentles, whose effort sailed over the bar.
Minutes later, Grey’s deft ball into the area found Gentles again, whose header was calmly held by Martin.
Young came closest to leveling the score when his curling effort beat Martin but ricocheted off the upright, summing up St Catherine’s frustrations.
Just as St Catherine began to pile on the pressure, Ocho Rios struck again. Reid broke free on another counterattack and outpaced a scrambling defence before slotting past a stranded Brown, who had ventured well outside his penalty area.
The goal all but sealed St Catherine’s fate, and while they continued to press forward, their attempts became increasingly desperate. Young rattled the crossbar in added time in what was another cruel reminder of their missed chances throughout the match.
Ocho Rios nearly added to their tally as Brown unleashed a stinging shot from just inside the 18-yard box that was equally well-saved by Omarion Brown, who took flight to his left.
Rajaun Garrick went on another counter for Ocho Rios, but again Brown advanced well to deny them in time added.
For St Catherine’s assistant coach, Donovan Lofters, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow, as he rued his team’s wastefulness in front of goal.
“We should have led by three or four goals by halftime, but we kept missing easy chances. So if you don’t eat your dinner, someone will eat it for you, and kudos to Ocho Rios; they did eat it. We didn’t deliver today,” Lofters said.
LAFC must leave ‘egos at the front door’ for Sounders clash, says Cherundolo
Los Angeles FC head coach Steve Cherundolo instructed his players to leave their ‘egos at the front door’ ahead of their Western Conference semi-final against the Seattle Sounders.
LAFC are the highest-seeded team in the West, meaning they will have home advantage for the final if they make it past the Sounders on Sunday.
This year, the Black and Gold have already lifted silverware, the US Open Cup, and made it to the Leagues Cup final, but suffered some poor runs during the regular season and seemed to lose focus.
However, Cherundolo and his players were able to correct in time and enter the postseason with a real sense of momentum and a belief that they can go all the way.
“We’ve had a couple frank talks with the guys about checking your egos at the front door. We went through a difficult patch when we were really stretched thin in a lot of games with an impossible schedule, and we ended up coming out on top," Cherundolo said.
“I think it definitely helps to have played in games like this. But if you have not, the motivation will be much greater, so there’s give and takes.
“This particular team has experience and has some youth as well. What I really appreciate about this group is that we have different ways to break teams down depending on who we line up and how we work our bench. We have many ways to beat teams.”
Seattle, meanwhile, are hoping to rectify their poor head-to-head record against LAFC, having often found themselves on the losing end of a one-sided rivalry.
The Sounders have won just five of their 22 all-time meetings with LAFC, though midfielder Jordan Morris said his side were not afraid of the challenge lying ahead of his team-mates.
"Obviously they have gotten the better of us the last few times and it's frustrating," Morris said.
"We know how good of a team they are, but we know how good of a team we are as well and I think you see that over the back half of the season, how we played and climbed the table and got to where we are.
"So I think just having confidence, belief that we can play with anyone in this league, including this team."
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer also alluded to potential changes in style, saying: “Well, we're not going to shy away. We're not going to change dramatically who we are,” Schmetzer said.
“We're still going to press high on goal kicks; if we have possession in their half of the field, we're going to counter-press – it's not like we're going to change everything. There are just subtle tweaks that we have to make. Because we haven't got good results against them.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LAFC - Denis Bouanga
Bouanga has scored eight goals in playoff matches since his postseason debut in 2022, including netting the only goal in LAFC’s win over Seattle in last year’s conference semi-finals. No other player has more than five playoff goals in that time.
He also has an unbeaten record against the Sounders, winning three of his four games against them (D1), while also providing three goal involvements (two goals, one assist) in those matches.
Seattle Sounders - Cristian Roldan
Roldan has been a crucial figure for the Sounders this season, missing just two games throughout the season, while also starting all 43 games he has featured in. But, he will be hoping for a better performance this time around.
After putting the Sounders ahead in their Game 2 draw with Houston via an 87th-minute goal, he put through his own net in second-half stoppage time to send the match to penalties. Roldan is the first player in MLS history to score a goal and an own goal in a single playoff match.
MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN
LAFC has won six straight matches against Seattle in all competitions, dating back to last season’s playoffs, eliminating the Sounders in last year’s postseason at the conference semi-final stage as well as knocking them out of this year’s Leagues Cup (quarter-final) and US Open Cup (semi-final).
The Black and Gold have also won six of their last seven home playoff matches, winning the other in a penalty shoot-out (vs. Philadelphia Union in the 2022 MLS Cup Final). The last visiting team to beat LAFC in a playoff match was the Sounders in the 2019 Western Conference Final.
Seattle advanced after beating the Dynamo on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Houston in Game 2 of their first round series. The Sounders have won only one of their last six road playoff matches (D1 L4) dating back to the 2017 MLS Cup Final, but that win was away to LAFC in the 2019 Western Conference Final.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
LAFC – 49.5%
Draw – 25.4%
Seattle Sounders – 25.1%
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