Moca FC of the Dominican Republic qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup after playing to a 1-1 stalemate with Jamaican side Harbour View in the second leg of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Third-Place playoff at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday night.
The result earned Moca a 3-2 victory on aggregate and passage to Round One of the 2024 Champions Cup. It is their first Champions Cup qualification.
There was not much in the way of chances in the first 45 minutes. It was not until toward the end of the half that the best looks at goal arrived, and they were both for Moca.
Victor Sanchez was in on goal, but saw his effort denied by Harbour View's goalkeeper Anthony Bennett. That was quickly followed by a swerving, dipping shot from Sebastian Valencia that sliced wide of net.
Harbour View started carving out some chances for themselves in the second half, and Andre Fagan could only shake his head in disbelief after he headed over the crossbar when left unmarked on a corner kick in the 56th.
The "Stars of the East" kept pressing and their efforts bore fruit in the 64th, when a free kick was played deep into the Moca FC area, and Ajuma Johnson arrived at the far post to finish on the volley.
Still requiring another goal due to Moca's away goal tiebreaker, Harbour View pushed for another, but Moca FC had other ideas and quickly evened the contest in the 68th, when a ball from Sebastian Valencia went through a sea of players.
Harbour View doubled down on attack and Moca FC's goalkeeper Odalis Baez was summoned to make a big save in 78th from an Ajeanie Talbott effort.
Harbour View’s last push came in the waning seconds, and a mad scramble in front of goal saw a shot ring off the crossbar, before eventually being cleared by Moca's defence, as they were resolute in holding on to their aggregate advantage.
A sensational second half strike from Dimitrio Andro earned Robinhood of Suriname a 1-0 victory over Jamaican side Cavalier in the first leg of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Final at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, on Thursday night.
It was a fairly cagey start to the contest as both teams took their time to feel out each other, before Carlos Da Silva's 15th-minute header gradually broke the shackles for Robinhood.
Cavalier heeded the danger and responded with a warning shot of their own through Shaquille Cairo 33rd-minute attempt.
The Jamaican side upped the tempo after the interval and almost broke the deadlock in the 55th minute, but tournament-leading scorer Shaniel Thomas's effort went just wide.
Minutes later Robinhood's goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel was called upon to make a soaring save to deny Ronaldo Robinson.
Just when it looked like Cavalier had the home side on the ropes and were set to break through, Robinhood turned the half on its head when they found the go-ahead goal in the 69th minute against the run of play. This, as Andro rifled a right-footed shot that lodged into the top right corner of net.
Andro’s excellent strike made for a vibrant finish, with Robinhood buoyed by momentum, while Cavalier tried desperately but couldn't find the elusive equalizer.
With that, the stage is set for what should be an explosive second leg inside Jamaica's National Stadium on December 6.
Dominican Republic side Moca FC overcame a slow start to edge Jamaican club Harbour View 2-1 in their Concacaf Caribbean Cup first-leg third-place encounter at Sabina Park on Tuesday night.
Moca FC will take that one-goal advantage and two away goals into their home leg, with hopes of also seeing off a possible Harbour View comeback, especially with a place in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup at stake.
Omar Thompson has been one of a key player in Harbour View's attacking force in this Caribbean Cup, and he was the impetus behind the opening goal in the 15th minute.
Thompson produced a run down the left channel, and later floated a deep cross that came off of Moca defender Clifford Thomas and into net for an own goal.
Moca FC sought a response, and a buzzing freekick taken by Sebastian Valencia in the 35th, required Harbour View's goalkeeper Anthony Bennett to stay calm and make a save in front of a sea of players.
The visitors eventually pulled level in the 43rd minute through Gustavo Ascona, who got on the end of a freekick and expertly headed past Bennett, to make it 1-1 at the break.
Harbour View again started best on the resumption and almost regained the lead in the 53rd minute, when Jahshaun Anglin rifled an effort that rocketed off the crossbar.
However, it was Moca FC that found the go-ahead goal in the 65th, as Jose Francisco smacked home a header that gave Bennett no chance at a save.
From there, Moca's defence withstood everything thrown at them by Harbour View to secure a crucial advantage ahead of next week’s second leg.
Robinhood of Suriname will meet Jamaica's Cavalier Football Club in the final of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup as they bettered Dominican Republic side Moca FC 3-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-0 victory in their second leg semi-final clash at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo on Thursday.
With Moca holding a one-nil lead entering the decisive leg, Franklin Singodikromo found Robinhood's all-important strike moments before the final whistle to even the series 1-1 on aggregate. Goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel then made two saves in the shootout to secure Robinhood will contest the Caribbean Cup showpiece, and, in the process, earned its first Concacaf Champions Cup berth since 1994.
Moca FC can still qualify for the 2024 Champions Cup, but they will have to get by Jamaican club Harbour View FC in the Caribbean Cup third-place fixture.
Robinhood started off by pinning the visitors back early and often, with Dimitrio Andro missing on a pair of shots in the 15th and 23rd minutes. Prior to that, Quiliano Stedenburg hooking a shot wide in the 21st.
Tuur Don heading right at Moca's goalkeeper Odalis Baez in the 32nd.
Robinhood continued to apply pressure and a deep cross from Jamilhio Rigters in the 52nd from the left wing nearly resulted in an own goal.
But as time went by, the Moca backline remained resolute and kept the Robinhood attack at bay.
Just when it looked like Moca were going to finish the job, Robinhood brought the home fans to their feet with a dramatic goal in the third minute of second half stoppage time. This, as Singodikromo wiggled away from a trio of defenders and fired past Baez to even the series at 1-1 and force a penalty shootout.
From the spot, Robinhood proved the better of the two sides, with Fonkel making two stops to help the home side emerge victorious.
Cavalier Football Club will contest the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup final after they held Harbour View to a goalless stalemate in their second leg semi-final clash at Sabina Park on Tuesday.
With the result, Cavalier win the series 5-0 on aggregate to advance to the final where they will face either Suriname's Robinhood or Dominican Republic's Moca FC. They have also officially qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Harbour View will look to claim a 2024 Champions Cup berth in the third-place Match.
Needing five unanswered goals to pull level in the series, Harbour View came out the much more aggressive and Jahshaun Anglin almost steered one in at the far post in the 14th, but his effort was kept out by Vino Barclett in goal for Cavalier.
Cavalier started to find space going forward and tournament top scorer Shaniel Thomas almost found his ninth goal in the 39th. However, he was denied by Harbour View's custodian Anthony Bennett.
Harbour View kept their foot on the gas in search of a goal and Shaquiel Bradford looked set to pull a goal back, but missed the target from inside the area after the preceding shot was blocked.
A defensive mishap by Harbour View in the 79th, almost gifted Jalmaro Calvin the breakthrough, but Ajeanie Talbott was on hand to avert the danger.
It would prove to be the final chance of the match, but it mattered less to Cavalier, who did much if the hardwork in the opening leg.
Cavalier continued their high-flying, goal-scoring form, as they hammered Harbour View 5-0 in the first leg of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup semifinals at Sabina Park on Tuesday.
With the win, Cavalier is now on the cusp of securing a spot in the Caribbean Cup Final, as well a spot in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Shaniel Thomas hit the ground running and after scoring seven goals in the group stage, the dynamic Cavalier striker tallied his eighth goal of the tournament with just five minutes on the clock. The former Jamaica College standout volleyed home a cross from Orlando Russell from the left wing.
Cavalier continued to apply pressure and quickly doubled their lead in the 12th, courtesy of Jamaro Calvin, who latched on to a loose ball in front of the Harbour View's goal after a free kick was played into the area.
Harbour View were down but not out, and they soon found their range. However, Vino Barclett in goal for Cavalier, proved equal to the task.
The "Stars of the East's" best effort at that point came when a Jahshaun Anglin shot deflected off Shaquiel Bradford and spun over the crossbar on the stroke of halftime.
Harbour View kept pushing for a goal and a snap header from Bradford in the 52nd was well kept out Barclett with a reaction save.
Ludlow Bernard's side later paid for their profligacy, as Cavalier extended their lead to in the 64th, when a cross from Calvin clipped the heel of Harbour View's defender Keven Clark and rolled over the line for a goal.
The Cavalier attack was unyielding, and they soon went 4-0 up in the 73rd on an excellent finish from Jeovanni Laing.
Dwayne Allen then completed the rout for Rudolph Speid's side with an easy finish from close range in the 87th.
The group stage of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup came to an exciting conclusion on Thursday night.
There were many excellent individual performances over the course of the group stage, yet these 11 players stood out the most at their respective positions.
Goalkeeper
Jonathan Fonkel, Robinhood – Robinhood captured the top spot in Group B thanks in part to the efforts of Fonkel, who conceded just four goals while making 23 saves and 19 clearances.
Defenders
Manuel Vidal, Moca – Vidal played a big role in Moca marching forward to the semifinals by making seven steals and nine clearances, plus scoring a goal.
Alierio Belfor, Robinhood – Sixteen clearances and six steals from Belfor was one of the many reasons why 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club Shield winners Robinhood surged to a first-place finish in their group.
Justin Garcia, Defence Force – Garcia was one of the best passing defenders in the group stage, completing 92 percent of his passes while making eight steals and 10 clearances.
Midfielders
Clifford Thomas, Moca – Thomas was one of the anchors in the Moca midfield with seven steals while completing more than 90 percent of his passes.
Jalmaro Calvin, Cavalier – Calvin was seemingly everywhere for Cavalier. He scored two goals and chipped in three assists on the attacking end, and had a clearance and a steal on the defensive end.
Reon Moore, Defence Force – Moore performed at a high level in every match and finished with two goals, an assist and a steal.
Renske Adipi, Robinhood – Robinhood were in good hands with Adipi in midfield, evidenced by him completing 80 percent of his passes, scoring a goal and making four steals.
Forwards
Shaquiel Bradford, Harbour View – Bradford wreaked havoc on defenses in the group stage and finished the four games with three goals and an assist.
Shaquille Cairo, Robinhood – The top scorer in the Shield with 10 goals followed that effort up with a five-goal haul in the Caribbean Cup group stage for Robinhood. He also had two steals.
Shaniel Thomas, Cavalier – Simply put; Thomas was breathtaking for Cavalier. He twice notched hat tricks during the team’s four games to help him finish with a tournament-leading seven goals. Defensively he helped, too, with three steals.
Suriname's Robinhood used a strong second half to propel themselves past Dominican Republic outfit Atletico Pantoja in a 3-1 comeback victory to end the group phase of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup on a high at the Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, on Thursday.
Not only did Robinhood earn a spot in the Caribbean Cup semifinals with the win, but they also topped Group B, as they ended with nine points, two points ahead of Jamaican side Harbour View, who fell to the other Dominican Republic side Cibao FC.
Atletico Pantoja started strong came and a trip from Robinhood goalkeeper Jonathan Fonkel on Luis Espinal in the area in the 18th minute resulted in a penalty. Francisco Ortega stepped up and squeezed the spot kick past Fonkel for a 1-0 Atletico Pantoja lead.
The conversion brought Atletico Pantoja to within a goal of leapfrogging Robinhood in the group and getting the final semifinal spot, but the Surinamese hosts looked to answer and started peppering the Atletico Pantoja goal with shots.
Their persistence paid off in glorious fashion in the 57th on a sensational left-footed strike from Jamilhio Rigters from outside the area to even the score at 1-1.
Another pivotal moment came on the hour mark when Atletico Pantoja’s Wilman Modesta was sent off with a straight red card for a foul on Carlos Da Silva, leaving the visitors with 10 men.
Robinhood made the most of it and added an insurance goal in the 74th, as Renske Adipi slotted home a right-footed shot from outside the area for a 2-1 lead.
Shaquille Cairo then put the icing on the cake in the 81’ by stabbing home a cross from the left flank to complete the 3-1 scoreline and secure Robinhood’s first-place finish in the group.
Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic ended their 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup on a positive note with a 2-1 victory over Harbour View of Jamaica in their Group B finale at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic on Thursday.
Despite the result, Harbour View advance to the semi-final as the second-place team in Group B with seven points, while Cibao finished third with four points.
Playing for pride, Cibao came out ready to battle and broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when a free kick played into the area was flicked away with a defensive header, but the ball landed right to Yohan Parra, who swung in a shot past Harbour View goalkeeper Romario Palma for a 1-0 Cibao lead.
The momentum was with Cibao and on the half-hour mark Carlos Heredia was fouled in the Harbour View area, resulting in a penalty. Heredia calmly converted the spot kick, doubling the Cibao's advantage.
Harbour View were stunned but came to life toward the end of the half and Shaquiel Bradford turned in a rebound right before halftime to bring the visiting Jamaicans back into the encounter at 2-1 at the break.
Harbour View kept the pressure on in the second half and Cibao's goalkeeper Christopher Gonzalez somehow prevented an equalizer with a reaction save in the 72nd minute.
In the end though, the Cibao's defence held the line the rest of the way to nail down the victory.
Though welcoming the 2-1 win which puts his team in a handy position heading into a break, Cavalier’s Technical Director Rudolph Speid was far from satisfied with his team’s overall execution in a lukewarm Concacaf Caribbean Cup against AC Port of Spain at Sabina Park on Thursday.
In fact, Speid believes the time off augurs well for the Jamaican outfit currently going through a rebuilding phase, as they intend to use it to good effect to improve certain aspects of their game.
While Jalmaro Calvin (8th) and Christopher Ainsworth (60th) got the goals for Cavalier, Port of Spain seemed the more dominant team at one point, but for their faulty shooting and some good glove work by Vino Barclett in goal for Cavalier at times.
However, the Trinidad and Tobago team ended with some consolation, courtesy of captain Duane Muckette’s 71st-minute strike.
With the win, Cavalier, who drew their opening contest 1-1 with another Trinidad and Tobago outfit Defence Force, assumed pole position in Group A on four points. Defence Force, who defeated Golden Lion of Martinique 1-0 on Wednesday, also moved to four points, but are second with an inferior goal difference.
Dominican Republic representative Moca FC are third on three points, with Golden Lion and Port of Spain, still without a point.
Speid agreed as much that his players lacked fitness and their drop in performance at certain points in the game, could have proved costly.
“It’s a new team and we’re trying to rebuild, but it’s three points and we were able to get them. This is our second game of the season, so you have to give and take. We’re not pleased, but we have another match on (September 19th) and we’ll put in some work to that end,” Speid said in a post-game press conference.
“We were doing some things wrong, but then in the second half, we kind of fixed it, but it’s a long road. We’re happy for the break so we’ll move on and get better as we progress,” he added.
After Calvin fired home from a Ronaldo Robinson assist, Cavalier, instead of pressing home the early ascendancy, opted to sit back and absorb consistent pressure, forcing their St Lucian goalkeeper Barclett to do more than he would have hoped.
In the 15th minute, Port of Spain’s midfielder John Paul Rochford was allowed space and time on the ball to get a right-footed shot off from a distance which was parried by Barclett diving full stretch to his left.
Cavalier again rode their luck in the 26th minute when defender Jeovanni Laing was dispossessed deep inside their quarters, paving the way for Che Benny to test his accuracy with a clever effort that kissed the crossbar on its way out.
Port of Spain again went close to pulling level on the stroke of the half-time interval, but Barclett again came up big with reflex save to deny Tyrone Charles, who twirled his way around two defenders to make space for the right-footed shot.
Things were a bit more balanced on the resumption, as Cavalier again showed life on the attacking front and caused a few problems for their Trinidadian counterparts.
But it wasn’t until the hour-mark that they extended the lead from a well-worked counterattacking play. It was orchestrated by Calvin, who picked out an unmarked Ainsworth at the top of the 18-yard box and the young player, sporting the number 11 jersey, maintained his composure to put a left-footed effort beyond Marvin Phillip in goal for Port of Spain.
Down, but not out, Port of Spain fought on bravely and pulled one back through Muckette, who expertly headed past the well-advanced Barclett, who was left in no-man’s land.
Port of Spain’s Head Coach Walter Noriega also rued his team’s sub-par display.
“It’s a disappointing result. I think the boys didn’t execute in the attacking play because we dominated possession, but possession doesn’t win you games. We’ll work on the finishing part and the execution,” he shared.
For their next assignments, Cavalier will play host to Moca on Tuesday, September 19, while Port of Spain will host Golden Lion a day prior.
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