St Kitts, SVG advance in Digicel Cup

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC):

St Kitts and Nevis and hosts St Vincent and the Grenadines advanced to the second round of the Digicel Caribbean Cup following a dramatic last series of first round, Group B qualifying matches on Sunday night.

While St Kitts thrashed Montserrat 4-0, the Vincentians played to a disappointing nil-all draw with Barbados at Victoria Park.

The results meant that St Kitts, SVG and Barbados all finished tied on five points, bringing the newly introduced FIFA rule-breaker into play.

However, the three teams were also level on points on the games played against each other, and also level on goal difference in games played against each other.

St Kitts were then adjudged to be group winners on the basis of having scored more than Barbados and St Kitts in the games between each tied team.

SVG finished second as they scored more goals in the competition overall, leaving Barbados to miss out moving on to the next round.

In the first game of the evening, Alexis Saddler's double put St Kitts in firm command of the match as Keith Gumbs and Ian Lake added goals to ensure their side were comfortable winners.

The 30-year-old Saddler put his side ahead in the 17th minute when he finished off a flowing move between George Isaac and Jevon Francis, by sweeping in from the left to beat goalkeeper Jermain Sweeny.

Three minutes later, the lead was doubled through Gumbs' classy 20-yard free kick, and St Kitts took the game by the scruff of the neck when Saddler completed his double in the 31st minute, stroking home Isaac's pass following a counterattacking move.

Montserrat produced their best showing in the second half, where they pressed while defending stoutly to keep the Kittitians at bay.

They stumbled at the death, however, and Ian Lake capitalised to boot home Joel Jeffers' cross from the right in injury time.

In the night's feature encounter, both teams finished the game with nine men, as four players were dismissed in a tense second half as both teams searched desperately for a winner.

The hosts lost Joel George in the 71st minute before Barbadian forward Norman Forde and SVG's Keith James were given their marching orders, with John Parris also sent off late in the piece for the visitors.