PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Braces from Kerry Baptiste and Jason Marcano propelled Trinidad & Tobago Pro League clubs Joe Public FC and San Juan Jabloteh respectively, to solid wins in their opening matches of the second round in the CFU Champions Cup.
Baptiste, the top marksman in the T&T Pro League last year, scored two first-half goals to usher Joe Public to a 5-0 victory over Walking Boys of Suriname in the Group-D fixture at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
It now carries Baptiste’s tally of goals in this year’s competition to eight, following the six he netted in the preliminary round last month in St. Vincent.
Walking Boys also suffered the indignity of ending the match with only 10 players on the field, after substitute Sergio Arupa was ejected for his second book-able offence, when he handled the ball inside the Public penalty area.
The Marvin Lee Stadium was also the backdrop, as Marcano scored either side of half-time to lead Jabloteh to a 2-0 victory over Alpha United of Guyana in Group-C.
Baptiste, the 2009 T&T Pro League Player-of-the-Year, continued his rich vein of scoring form, when he met Micah Lewis’ left-sided cross, and headed into the nets in the 14th minute.
The Eastern Lions, as Joe Public are known, forged further ahead, when Yu Hoshide, a midfielder from Japan, struck in the 27th minute, when he booted a weak clearance from the Boys’ defence into the nets from just outside of the penalty area.
Baptiste then set Public up for a 3-0 half-time lead, when he volleyed past the Boys’ net-minder Robert Perre in the 32nd minute in a fluid move, after he controlled a long pass from Hayden Tinto on his chest.
Trent Noel, the 2009 T&T Pro League Midfielder-of-the-Year, extended Joe Public’s lead 10 minutes after the interval, with a strike from outside of the penalty area that gave Perre no chance.
Andre Toussaint, a new acquisition for Public in the T&T Pro League off-season, wrapped-up the scoring, when he too, dialled from long distance, and tagged the back of the net in stoppage time.
In the other match, Marcano, in particular, and Jabloteh showed their class in their first competitive match for the year to deny a plucky Alpha United side, which contained seven former T&T Pro League imports.
Marcano broke down the Guyanese side in the 28th minute, after intercepting a back-header, and lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Ronston Williams.
This was the only item that stood between the two sides at halftime, but Marcano eased Jabloteh’s concerns, when he fought his way into the Alpha United penalty area, made the most of some lackadaisical defending, and booted the ball low past Williams in the 65th minute.
Marcano later missed out on his hat-trick header over-bar, after substitute Ataulla Guerra supplied him with a lovely, and he had only Williams in his “sights” 11 minutes from time.
Alpha had a chance to salvage a goal in stoppage time, when Jamaican referee Raymond Bogle awarded a penalty for a foul in the area, but Jabloteh custodian Cleon John denied Howard Lowe, captain of the Guyanese club, to maintain a clean sheet.
Matches will now continue on Friday to help determine two of the four second round, group winners that will advance to a final group stage carded for Bayamon, Puerto Rico, next month.
Alpha will take on Puerto Rican club River Plate on Friday night at the Marvin Lee Stadium, after Walking Boys tackle System 3 of St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
The top three finishers in the CFU Champions Cup will then progress to the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League.
