CD Olimpia tame Eastern Lions

Uruguayan Ramiro Bruschi scored a double in the 32nd and 77th minute. Hendry Thomas added some insurance in the 59th with a well taken header. Olimpia, not too good on set plays, took a short corner. Ramon Nunez got a nice cross into the penalty area for midfielder Hendry Thomas who, free as a bird, rose above the entire Joe Public defence, took his time and placed a beauty of a header past Figueroa. Thomas, the cousin of Benfica striker David Suazo, is a very talented young midfielder who has been linked with a move to English Premier League side Wigan Athletic.

Joe Public head coach Keith Griffith said last week after the game against Montreal Impact, "The next time we meet the Impact at Marvin Lee (Trinidad and Tobago), we'll beat them by four goals clear, for sure", adding that Montreal goalkeeper Matt Jordan "can't be that brilliant again." Impact head coach John Limniatis had replied "From this game, I don't see how he can say they'll win by four goals. They do have offensive talent, but the other way they're very suspect."

Aparently John Limniatis wasn't the only one who knew Joe Public's defence was suspect; CD Olimpia found that out 15 minutes into the game. Joe Public, sporting a defence with more holes than a rice-strainer and an aging midfield with no impact power, was made to look very ordinary at home. Many supporters were expecting a better show from the Eastern Lions (Joe Public) after the thrashing of the New England Revolution but were left very disappointed by the humiliating home defeat. Maybe it was overconfidence on Joe Public's part but the team was definitely neutralised in every aspect.

In the first 15 minutes Joe Public looked like the winning team and pressed on goal from the start, but never took full advantage of the nervous looking Olimpia team and allowed them to settle into the game. Striker Reon Nelson had a few shots on goal but none looked menacing enough to trouble Olimpia's goalkeeper. From there on it was all Olimpia - even though Joe Public had a few attacks on goal, Olympia were really the better side.

Shane Calderon got the start over team captain Dale Saunders and had a hand in Olimpia's first goal, failing to clear a ball in the penalty area after it fell to him off a corner taken by Olympia. Calderon hesitated and was robbed by the club's all-time leading goal scorer and team captain Wilmer Velasquez. Velasquez squared the ball into the path of Bruschi, who sprinted past Walter Castro and one-timed a left-footed shot through the legs of Joe Public keeper Alejandro Figueroa. Calderon would try hard to make up for his mistake and actually had a powerful shot on goal in the 27th minute that beat the Olimpia goalkeeper, but he only managed to miss the goal inches wide.

Scoring his fifth goal of the Champions League and tying him with with Cruz Azul’s Javier Orozco for the tournament lead, Gregory Richardson scored a late consolation goal in the 79th. However, the goal didn't lift the Eastern Lions spirit and they continued to slip into a deeper hole.

In fact things got worse for them when stand-in captain and playmaker Arnold Dwarika was shown a straight red card in the 83rd minute for an open-studded tackle on Elvis Turcios. Gregory Richardson also got away from a booking after elbowing Walter Hernández and appearing to draw blood, in the dying minutes of the game. Hernández was eventually subbed. To make matters worst coach Keith Griffith did himself no favors when he took off Reon Nelson a striker who did ok holding up the ball and also helping in midfield play for midfielder Lyndon Andrews who had no impact what so ever.

Apart from his goal in the 79th minute, top-scorer Gregory Richardson was again used in a wide position and was fruitless as he was easily marked out by Brazilian defender Fabio de Souza, and he may well have ended all interest it had in him a week back. Jamaican Wolry Wolfe should be sent back on the earliest plane to Jamaica, and Elusma Pierre, Lyndon Andrews and Jason Springer relegated to the Reserve team. Keyeno Thomas and Kerry Baptiste probably played themselves out of any future national call-ups.

On the bright side, Alejandro Figueroa did however make up for his poor showing in Canada against Montreal Impact, and made some well timed saves that kept the scoreline at 3-goals. Shane Calderon and Carlyle Mitchell looked good at times; however, club owner Jack Warner will surely have to dig deep into his pockets and try to beef up his squad if they are to have any chance of making it into the next round of this tournament. At this point it seems impossible for the Eastern Lions to win any silverware this year despite booking a place in the finals of the First Citizens Cup, carded to take place on Friday the 26th of September against five (5) time winners W Connection.

CD Olimpia won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 1973 and 1988, were runners-up in 1985 and 2000 respectively, and currently sit at 5th place on the Honduran domestic league table while Joe Public occupies 7th place in the local league. This is not the first time Olimpia has played a T&T team. Back in 1985 Defence Force got the better of them in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup when they won 2:1 on aggregate and were eventual Champions. However, in 1988 Olimpia would get its revenge that would send the T&T outfit packing with a 4-0 win on aggregate to take the crown.

The result moved Olimpia within a point of Group C leaders Montreal and Atlante FC, who drew 0:0 in Canada on Wednesday. After two straight away games, Olimpia returns home next week to face Montreal Impact on 2nd of October. Joe Public will travel to Mexico to face Atlante FC in Cancun.

Joe Public: - 1.Alejandro Figueroa, 20.Christopher Harvey, 3.Elusma Pierre, 19.Carlyle Mitchell, 23.Keyeno Thomas, 13.Jason Springer (12.Gary Glasgow 66th), 9.Arnold Dwarika (capt), 7.Shane Calderon (17.Kerry Baptiste 46th), 11.Wolry Wolfe, 14.Roen Nelson (10.Lyndon Andrews 57th), 21.Gregory Richardson.

CD Olimpia: - Noel Valladares, Boniek García, Johny Calderón, Fabio de Souza, Geovany Avila, Danilo Turcios, Walter Hernández (Jaime Rosales 88th), Ramón Núñez, Hendry Thomas, Ramiro Bruschi (Erik Andino 76th), Wilmer Velásquez (capt) (Allon Dos Santos 80th).