By FRANCIS JOSEPH
The door is closing in on the Defence Force football team to reach the knockout stage of the Concacaf Caribbean Cup tournament.
The Defence Force team was soundly 0-2 beaten by local team, Club Sando, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Tuesday night.
Goals in either half from Luke Phillips (24th) and Shevohnez Hamilton (67th) secured Club Sando’s second straight victory, keeping their unbeaten momentum intact after two matches and strengthening their push for a place in the knockout stages.
Club Sando remain second in Group A, level on six points with Haitian leaders Violette FC, but behind on goal difference. They now need just a point from either their remaining home match against Dominican Republic team, Delfines del Este, on September 8 or their final group encounter away to Violette on September 15 to secure a semi-final place.
For Defence Force, however, the defeat leaves their route to the knockout stage considerably more difficult, though not impossible.
The Defence Force suffered their second loss after opening with a 3-0 defeat to Violette and now have only one match remaining, away to Delfines del Este on September 15. They will need a victory in that encounter and favourable results elsewhere to keep alive their chances of reaching the semis for a second consecutive year.
Club Sando took a slender 1-0 lead into half-time.
The first produced the opening goal in the 24th minute after Shevohnez Hamilton won possession from Jamali Garcia and drove forward before cutting the ball back into the path of Luke Phillips. Phillips made no mistake, unleashing a spectacular finish into the roof of the net to put Club Sando ahead.
Defence Force attempted to pull level in the second half, creating pressure and forcing Club Sando to defend deeper, but they struggled to produce a clear-cut opportunity. Eventually, Club Sando doubled their advantage when Hamilton struck in the 64th minute. The forward collected an inside pass from Keron Cornwall, drove into the area and beat the Defence Force goalkeeper at the near post before racing towards the sideline to celebrate with a dance.
The end result – Club Sando won 2-0.
