Dominican Republic's Moca FC secured their place in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup semi-final with a 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago's Defence Force in their Group A showdown at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, on Wednesday.

Moca with nine points, finished as runners-up to Jamaican side Cavalier FC, which ended on 10 points.

It was one-way traffic in the first 45 minutes, with Moca content to sit back and guard the 0-0 result knowing that a draw was enough to seal their passage to the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Defence Force committed numbers forward, with their best chance being a Jamali Garcia shot in the 21st minute that forced a reaction save from Moca goalkeeper Odalis Baez. Defence Force certainly had the bulk of the chances, but not the breakthrough they sought.

All of the energy spent by Defence Force started to open up space for Moca as the second half wore on, and the visitors from the Dominican Republic made the most of it, scoring the crucial opening goal in the 64th.

A deep cross from Juan Angeles was initially deflected out by the Defence Force defense and Moca’s Gustavo Ascona was first to react to the loose ball, stabbing home the finish for a precious 1-0 lead.

Moca remained in control and put the three points and semi-final spot-on ice in second half stoppage time, when Ronaldo de Pena finished off a counterattack to complete the 2-0 scoreline.

Young striker Shaniel Thomas registered a second hat-trick of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, as he combined with Jalmaro Calvin to hand Jamaica's Cavalier FC a 5-2 win over host Golden Lion in their Group A curtain-call contest at the Stade Pierre-Aliker in Fort-de-France, Martinique, on Wednesday.

Thomas, who earlier in the tournament became the youngest and first player to score a hat-trick when he achieved the feat against Dominican Republic's Moca FC last month, again proved too good in the final third for his French-speaking rivals on this occasion, and now has a Caribbean Cup-leading seven goals in four games. His combination with Calvin also ensured the Rudolph Speid-coached side topped the group on their way to the semi-final.

Cavalier could not have asked for a better start, as they quickly grabbed a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute, when Calvin's cross from the right wing took a wicked deflection off the foot of Golden Lion's defender Marvin Bellance, leaving goalkeeper Alan Rose wrong-footed, as the ball rippled the net.

Calvin continued to be a nuisance on the right flank and made a big impact again in the 14th minute with a dashing run that ended with a strong right-footed finish for a 2-0 lead.

The nippy Calvin added another notch to his first half belt with an assist on a Thomas goal in the 34th. In that build up, Calvin shook markers on the right channel before cutting back to Thomas, who swept in a shot past Rose to put Cavalier 3-0 up.

Thomas was once again at the right place at the right time in the 37th when an under-hit back pass allowed him to swoop in and score for a 4-0 Cavalier lead.

The Calvin-Thomas combination continued to wreak havoc on Golden Lion, who had no response to their onslaught. Calvin again played provider for Thomas, who applied another powerful finish in first half stoppage time, to put the Jamaicans 5-0 up at the break.

Golden Lion came out with a renewed purpose on the resumption and pulled one back in the 51st minute, through a Thierry Catherine header.

They added another in the 71st, courtesy of Wilfrid Charloton’s finish inside the area, but in the end the spoils and first-place finish in the group belonged to Cavalier.

Suriname side Robinhood will be looking to seal their spot in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club semifinals when they take on Atletico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic in what is expected to be an intriguing Groub B showdown at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, o Thursday.

Robinhood currently sit in second position on six points, just one point behind leaders Harbour View of Jamaica, while Atletico Pantoja remain alive in the hunt for a semifinal berth, in fourth place on three points.

Robinhood can guarantee their semifinal place with a draw and could even capture group honours with a win, provided Harbour View drop points in their fixture against Cibao FC, also of the Dominican Republic.

However, an Atletico Pantoja win by a two-goal margin, would be enough to send them through to the Caribbean Cup semifinals ahead of Robinhood.

Needless to say, the night should provide plenty of great drama with so much at stake.

Robinhood have been buoyed by striker Shaquille Cairo, who has four goals in the tournament, making him the joint top-scorer along with Shaniel Thomas of Cavalier.

Cairo has been as consistent as they come, scoring in all three of Robinhood’s games and has gotten help from Tuur Don, who has two assists. Jamilhio Rigters also has contributed after scoring in their last outing, a 3-2 loss to Harbour View.

Atletico Pantoja have played to three straight 1-1 draws in the group, so they will need to break that streak with a full three points if they are to advance.

Jhon Mosquera has played a vital role as playmaker with two assists, while Ronaldo Vasquez has been one of the most active players in attack with 10 shots and 84 completed passes, along with two ball recoveries.

An epic showdown awaits in Group A of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, as Trinidad and Tobago's Defence Force hosts Moca of the Dominican Republic in a winner-takes-all affair on at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, on Wednesday.

Moca go into the contest with the slight advantage, as they sit second in the group with six points, a single point ahead of Defence Force. The visitors from the Dominican Republic only require a draw to secure a semifinals berth, but a full three points could be enough to see them leap into first place, should currently leaders Cavalier falter in their visit to Golden Lion.

For Defence Force, the mission is straightforward; win and they are in. A full three points would guarantee a semifinals spot and could possibly be enough to win the group as well.

Moca have wins over Port of Spain (1-0) and Golden Lion (3-0) to put themselves in this position to advance, while Defence Force played to draws with Cavalier (1-1) and Port of Spain (1-1) and earned a victory over Golden Lion (1-0).

Defence Force will be turning to the likes of Reon Moore, Jamali Garcia and Christopher Biggette to get the job done. In the tournament, Moore has a pair of goals and an assist, while Garcia has been a tireless worker in midfield with 152 passes completed and eight ball recoveries.

Biggette has been solid in net, making 13 saves, 10 clearances and recording a clean sheet.

Moca will be out to have a strong start to nail down a positive result and the duo of Gustavo Ascona and Victor Sanchez can help get them there. Ascona has a goal from six shots taken, while Sanchez is coming off a brace against Golden Lion.

No doubt an exciting contest awaits between two sides with everything on the line.

Jamaica's Cavalier will have their sights set on a first-place finish in Group A of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup when they pay a visit to Martinique to take on Golden Lion at the Stade Pierre-Aliker in Fort-de-France, on Wednesday.

Cavalier, who currently occupies pole position in the group on seven points, one ahead of second-placed Moca of the Dominican Republic, and two in front of third-placed Defence Force from Trinidad and Tobago.

With Moca and Defence Force squaring off as well on Wednesday, Cavalier are assured of a top-two finish in the group and a place in the semifinals, but the Jamaican side will be keen to collect all three points and win the group.

After opening with a 1-1 draw at Defence Force, Cavalier rolled to victories in their next two games against Port of Spain (2-1) and Moca (3-0).

Leading the way has been Shaniel Thomas, who has four goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick against Moca, to lead the competition in scoring. Thomas has also drawn the most fouls for his side, with seven.

Jalmaro Calvin and Nicholas Hamilton have contributed to Cavalier’s attacking prowess as well, with Calvin scoring a goal and adding an assist and Hamilton with two assists.

Golden Lion will be trying to end their Caribbean Cup on a positive note, as they sit in fourth place in the group with three points, the lone win coming in a 3-2 final with Port of Spain.

As always, legendary Martinique striker Kevin Parsemain will be one for the Cavalier defense to watch. Parsemain has a goal and an assist in the tournament and has totaled 13 shots.

Marvin Bellance has enjoyed a good tournament with seven ball recoveries and Jordy Boriel is a striker also capable of finding the back of the net, having done so against Port of Spain.

Brent Sam scored deep into second half stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw for Defence Force against fellow Trinidad and Tobago side Port of Spain in Group A action on Thursday, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

With the result, Port of Spain complete their campaign with one point, while Defence Force remain in third place in the group with five points.

The draw for Defence Force also means that Jamaican club and Group A leaders Cavalier FC have qualified for the semifinals.

There was no shortage of chances in the first half for either side, as they went back-and-forth in an exciting and wide-open affair.

Port of Spain looked set for an opener in the fifth with captain Duane Muckette bearing down on goal, but his effort was parried wide by Defence Force goalkeeper Christopher Biggette.

Defence Force looked to wrestle control away from Port of Spain in the second half and if not for a reaction save from Port of Spain goalkeeper Jadel Poon-Lewis, Nathaniel Garcia would have had the first goal of the match right before the hour mark.

But Port of Spain would muster the first goal in the 77th, when Michel Poon-Angeron stripped a Defence Force player of possession, played a quick one-two combination with Muckette and then finished into net for a 1-0 lead.

Defence Force pushed hard for a late 1-1 equalizer and hit paydirt in the 90+3 on a well-placed strike from Sam off a pass from Reon Moore to earn Defence Force a share of the spoils.

Jamaica's Dunbeholden ended their 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup campaign on a high note with a 2-1 victory against Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic in Group B action at the National Stadium on Thursday.

The result saw Dunbeholden FC complete their failed campaign with four points from their four games, while Cibao FC are eliminated from advancing with one match to play. It also ensured another Jamaican side Harbour View, a spot in the semifinals.

The first big chance came right before the half-hour mark in the 29th, when Dunbeholden’s Nicholas Nelson did well to evade a pair of defenders and round Cibao goalkeeper Miguel Lloyd but hooked his shot wide with two defenders stationed on the goal line.

Dunbeholden stayed on the front foot and Nelson looked almost certain to break the deadlock in the 41st, when alone one-on-one with Lloyd, but the veteran goalkeeper made the big-time save to keep things scoreless.

At the third time of asking in the first half, Dunbeholden broke the deadlock in the waning seconds before halftime when Nelson outraced a defender and played a simple ball across to Shakeen Powell, who had an easy sweep into net for a 1-0 lead.

Cibao woke up in the second half and pulled even 1-1 in the 55th on a sensational left-footed volley from Facundo Guichon off an inch-perfect cross from Lean Torres.

But Dunbeholden answered right back and went back ahead 2-1 in the 63rd, when Rohan Brown nodded home a header at the back post.

From there, the Dunbeholden defense did the rest to keep the Cibao attack at bay and nail down the three points.

Shaquille Cairo scored a pair of goals to lead 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield winners Robinhood of Suriname to a 2-0 victory against Jamaican side Dunbeholden in Group B action of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup at Sabina Park on Thursday.

Robinhood now sit atop the group with six points after two games, while Dunbeholden have one point after three matches.

Robinhood raced out to an early 1-0 lead in the 15th when they were able to take advantage of a defensive error from Dunbeholden. The home side failed to clear their lines adequately and a deflected ball up into the air right in front of goal was headed into net by Shaquille Cairo.

Dunbeholden went right to work on finding an equalizer and Stephen Barnett looked poised to do it in the 25th, only for Robinhood goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel to make a sensational stretch save.

Odane Samuels was next to be turned away on a brilliant save by Jonathan Fonkel, this time on a shot from just a few yards out that the visiting shot-stopper somehow managed to parry to safety in the 34th.

Robinhood absorbed Dunbeholden’s punches and then landed another big blow in the 55th when a cross from Tuur Don met the charging Cairo, who fired into net for a 2-0 Robinhood lead.

The Robinhood defense took over after that, nailing things down to record the clean sheet victory.