MBU surprise Cavalier at WesPow Park

HOME TEAM Montego Bay (MBU) scored their first goal of the 2023 Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) when they surprised Concacaf Caribbean Cup finalists Cavalier 1-0 at WesPow Park in Tucker, St James, yesterday.

Lucas Lima Correa struck the all-important goal for MBU in the 69th minute in a game that could have gone either way.

In a game that lacked cohesion and was scrappy for the most part, MBU held the upper hand and created more chances while having most possession in the first half.

Both teams were given multiple opportunities to take the lead but did not capitalise on them.

Cavalier gained some momentum in the second half and fought hard to score, but the MBU defenders made it tough for them.

The Concacaf Caribbean Cup finalists’ hopes were dashed in the 69th minute when Correa climbed highest to head the ball home from a corner kick.

Neider Dos Santos, coach of Montego Bay United, said that the team deserved the win.

“The team played with heart, and that is important. We must congratulate them today because they stuck to the game plan. This first win is a reflection of what is to come. We are improving, we are training, and there is no other way to improve. The last match was a nightmare, but we came back with a week of training and a good game plan. We studied Cavalier, so we did a very good job today,” Dos Santos said.

He added: “We had a very good first half. It was almost perfect. I mean, we shut them down. They didn’t have any chances, and we created some. In the second half, we dropped a little bit, and the match became more open. We made some changes, and those changes worked, and I think we played some very good football.”

Rudolph Speid, sporting director of Cavalier, said his team was awful during the game.

“I don’t think it was fatigue. This is not our usual standard of football. It wasn’t one or two players. It was almost everybody. Once you play like that, it is almost difficult for you to get a positive result. This is our first JPL game, and we lost, but we are one of those teams that improve as the season goes along. We will improve. It’s just that we got here late. We never got going. We got few chances, very uncharacteristic of us, and then we gave up a goal that we should have done better. With all of those combined, it usually means losing three points,” Speid said.

Yesterday’s results

Lime Hall Academy 1 Waterhouse 3

Humble Lions 1 Molynes 1

Montego Bay United 1 Cavalier 0

Mount Pleasant 3 Dunbeholden 0

Portmore 3 Treasure Beach 1