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Win creates breathing room for Cavalier
April 10, 2025
Cavalier got the breathing room they desired with a 1-0 victory over Portmore United in their rescheduled Jamaica Premier League (JPL) football game at Sabina Park yesterday.
The win saw them move within four points of their opponents, but more importantly, opening a seven-point gap between themselves and sixth-place Waterhouse, who are locked in a tight battle to secure a top-six playoff spot.
Shaquille Stein scored the game's only goal, 10 minutes into the second half to secure full points for Rudolph Speid's team.
Speid said it was a tactical game of fine margins, but that the three points were crucial in staying out of the 'dogfight' for sixth spot.
"Both teams are likely to meet in the quarter-finals. It was a game where nobody wanted to give anything away. It was a tactical game, and what I saw was two teams feeling out each other," he assessed.
"It was an evenly contested game but ... we just got the odd goal to get the win," he said.
Cavalier stayed fifth on 56 points, some distance ahead of Waterhouse on 49, with Tivoli Gardens and Racing United in seventh and eighth, respectively, with the same number of points, 48. Racing have two outstanding matches.
Speid pointed to the importance of establishing breathing space from the chasing pack.
"We don't really want to get into that dogfight, so it was a really important win. There is a chasing pack and we want to stay away from the chasing pack," he stated.
In an equally contested first half, both teams created good openings.
The breakthrough came at the 55th minute when Stein tapped home a cross from close range to break the deadlock.
Portmore's head coach Rodolph Austin said one lapse in concentration cost them the match.
"We got two chances in the first half that we didn't take. It was a balanced game. We just switched off in a moment that caused the goal. We have to be more focused in the game," he cautioned.
Portmore have virtually secured their top six spot, being 12 points clear of Tivoli and Racing in seventh and eighth, respectively, but Austin said there is no letting up, as the aim is to win all their remaining regular season games.
"I don't think we are safe in the top six. I do not think that. I want to win every game," he commented.
"That is how football is. You have to try and win games. We came here today trying to win but it did not happen, so we just have to move on," he added.
