Domincan Republic’s Cibao FC and Moca FC will take their rich vein of form into the semi-finals of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup as both closed out the group stages with contrasting 4-1 and 2-1 victories over Haiti’s Ouanaminthe FC and Antiguan outfit Grenades FC on Tuesday.

The results saw both teams consolidating their hold on the top two spots in Group B with unbeaten records. They ended on 10 points each, but Cibao FC took group honours by virtue of a slightly better goal difference.

Port of Spain, Grenades, and Ouanaminthe all ended on two points each in that exact order.

As they have done since the start of the tournament, Cibao FC demonstrated class and quality in making light work of Ouanaminthe at Estadio Cibao FC.

After bossing possession from the onset, Cibao eventually broke the deadlock courtesy of Eddipo Rodriguez, who fired home in the 33rd from Jean Lopez’s service.

Before Ouanaminthe could catch their breaths, they were hit again, as Carlos Heredia doubled Cibao’s lead with a tidy finish in the 37th after dispossessing a defender.

Cibao picked up where they left off on the resumption and pushed the game beyond Ouanaminthe’s reach when Rivaldo Correa drove home a right-footer from the top of the 18-yard box to make it 3-0.

Moca's Guillermo de Pena celebrates the winning goal against Grenades FC. 

Ouanaminthe pulled one back in the 55th through Dave Altidor Jr, who fired home from close range.

However, that strike proved to be a mere consolation as Luis Quezada tucked away a calm left-footed effort to complete Cibao’s win.

Meanwhile, Moca produced a come-from-behind performance to top Grenades at Estadio Moca 85.

After playing out a goalless first half, Kamol Griffith latched on to a cross from Malcolm Stewart to put Grenades ahead in the 50th minute.

But the lead was short-lived as Gustavo Ascona expertly headed home from Clifford Thomas’ weighted cross in the 53rd to pull Moca FC level.

Guillermo de Pena completed Moca FC’s comeback when he finished off a well-worked training ground-style build up from a set play in the 61st minute.

Moca went down to 10 players when Carlos Russell picked up a second yellow in the 76th minute, and the numerical disadvantage allowed Grenades FC to attempt a rally in the latter stages of the contest.

However, Moca’s captain and goalkeeper Miguel Baez pulled off a stunning save to deny Keanu Barrett’s effort from a distance to ensure his team came away with all three points.

Cibao FC will face the Group A runner-up, while Moca FC await the Group A winner. Those spots are to be decided between currently leaders Jamaica’s Cavaliers (six points), Haiti’s Real Hope (five points) and another Jamaican outfit Mount Pleasant FA (four points).

Cavalier are set to tackle out-of-contention Arnett Gardens on Thursday, at the same time that Mount Pleasant and Real Hope will lock horns in what should be mouth-watering clash.

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.

 

Shaniel Thomas notched a hat-trick to help Jamaican club Cavalier take a big step toward the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Club semifinals with a 3-0 victory on Tuesday night against Moca of the Dominican Republic in Group A action at Sabina Park.

With the win, Cavalier now sit atop the group with seven points through three matches, while Moca remain in third place with three points after two games.

Thomas's hat-trick, which is the first in Caribbean Cup history, propelled him to the top of the tournament goalscoring leaderboard with four goals.

It was a fairly even start between the two sides, but midway through the first 45 minutes, in the 24th, Cavalier were able to break the deadlock through Thomas.

A long ball was hoofed up the left flank for Makenson Cadet, who ran onto it and then chipped over a defender, allowing Thomas to meet the ball with a powerful header into net and a 1-0 Cavalier advantage.

Cavalier kept their foot on the gas and a swinging right-footed effort from Nicholas Hamilton in the 49th that curled just wide was the next big look at goal for the hosts.

Another chance would come for Cavalier in the 58th and they made the most of it when the Moca defence failed to clear their lines and Thomas was all too happy to take a simple back pass and hammer in a shot from a few yards out to double the lead to 2-0.

Thomas wasn’t done, and a minute after, he was brought down by Moca defender Manuel Vidal in the area, the Cavalier frontman smashed home a penalty in the 77th to nail down his hat-trick and the 3-0 Cavalier victory.

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