AC Port-of-Spain, joined their rivals Defence Force in the quarterfinal round of the T&T Premier Football League Knock-Out Competition after they defeated central outfit Harlem Strikers 2-0 at the Diego Martin Sporting Complex on Saturday night.
The capital city men, playing their first game since their heart-wrenching 2-1 loss to the Defence Force at the Arima Velodrome on June 24, took just 16 minutes to take the advantage in the encounter, coming from the boot of Maleek Moses.
Strikers, who were fourth on the Tier 2 standings only due to an inferior goal difference to Queen’s Park and San Fernando Giants, were hoping to produce an upset after the Giants went down to the Parkites 2-1 in the opening match of the Diego Martin venue at 5 pm, but it was always going to be an improbable task.
And as expected, they defended for most of the 90 minutes, until they were worn down, and Sedale Mc Clean sealed the win for the capital city men with a 79th-minute goal to send them into the quarters.
AC Port-of-Spain may be eager to have another crack at the Army Coast-Guard Combination, but there are other teams hoping to lift the knock-out title as well.
In the running, Police FC defeated San Juan Jabloteh 5-2 in an all-tier 1-contest at the La Horquetta Recreation Ground in Phase II La Horquetta. Playing in the first game of the doubleheader at La Horquetta on Saturday, the Lawmen, boosted by a five-game unbeaten streak, took the advantage after just the first minute of play from Anthony Wolfe.
Jabari Mitchell then fired them to a 2-0 lead in the 23rd minute, which they took to the halfway break.
Soon after the interval, Police, who finished the tier 1 League in the fifth position with 39 points, then raced to a 3-0 advantage when Kadeem Hutchinson found the nets in the 56th minute. Four minutes later, they increased their advantage with a Kern Roberts item in the 60th minute.
Jabloteh, forced to defend for long periods, then pulled a goal back in the 74th minute from Elijah Seechan 4-1, reducing the deficit to three.
However, it only seemed to have angered the Lawmen who responded almost immediately, in the 79th minute from Kidane Lewis for a 5-1 lead.
Jabloteh though, had the last say in the encounter, as Dwight Jordan found the nets a minute before the end of regulation time, in the 89th minute, for a result that send them packing out of the knock-out play-offs.
Meanwhile, Central FC, another of the Tier 1 teams in action on the day, got a double strike from Ricardo John in the 10th and 39th for maximum points over the University of T&T 2-1, as well as passage to the quarterfinal round of the knock-out.
In another game, Terminix La Horquetta Rangers prevailed over Police FC, the Tier 2 team 2-1.
Jamal Creighton fired the Easterners ahead in the 55th minute before an own goal by Ricky Morris gave them a 2-0 advantage. The Police goal came from J’deem Parris in the 90+5 minutes.
RESULTS AT THE WEEKEND
AC PoS- 2 (Maleek Moses 16th, Sedale Mc Clean 79th) vs Harlem Strikers- 0
Defence Force- 5 (Brent Sam 6th, 12th, 20th minute (pen), Shaquille Holder 50th, 61st) vs Prison Service- 1 (Kemuel Rivers 78th)
Heritage Petroleum Point Fortin Civic- 2 (Rondel Phillip 24th, 90+3) vs 1976 Phoenix- 1 (Jariel Arthur 37th)
Police FC- 5 (Anthony Wolfe 1st, Jabari Mitchell 23rd, Kadeem Hutchinson 56th, Kern Roberts 60th, Kidane Lewis 79th) vs San Juan Jabloteh- 2 (Elijah Seechan 74th, Dwight Jordan 89th)
Central FC- 2 ( Ricardo John 10th, 39th) vs UTT Tier 2- 1 (Warren Chase 85th)
Terminix La Horquetta Rangers- 2 (Jamal Creighton 55th, Ricky Morris own goal 88th minute) vs Police FC Tier 2- 1 (J’deem Parris 90+5)
QPCC- 2 (Sean De Silva 20th, Jose Parra 38th minute) vs San Fernando Giants- 1 (Denton Headley 62nd)
SOURCE: T&T Guardian
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