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Tivoli looking to go full throttle; MoBay aim to seal tie - Cavalier better prepared; Portmore looking to bury chances
May 12, 2025
Tivoli Gardens Football Club's head coach Jerome Waite says if their second leg Jamaica Premier League (JPL) quarter-finals against MoBay United is not interrupted as happened in the first leg, he is confident they will overturn the 2-1 deficit and advance to the semi-finals. Both teams will meet today at 9 p.m. at Sabina Park.
In the opening game of the second leg quarter-finals, Portmore United will take on Cavalier, starting at 6:30 p.m. That game is tied at 1-1.
The first leg of the quarter-finals had to be suspended after 36 minutes because of electrical issues at Sabina Park on Thursday. Both matches were rescheduled to Friday, with the game resuming from the time where it was halted.
"What saved MoBay was the fact that the game didn't play from minute one to 90. It was just 36 minutes that was played Thursday. So nine minutes (first half) was nothing," he assessed.
"But MoBay did well. They are a quality team. So we will have to step it up if we are to be successful. And as long as we don't have a lighting problem and the game is not interrupted it will be a different ball game," Waite added.
Waite was disappointed in how they conceded the two goals on Friday, and called on his goalkeeper Nicholas Clarke to have a bigger impact in their game today.
"Our goalkeeper should have helped us. That (first goal) was a soft goal. It's the playoffs now, we can't afford to make those mistakes. But we still have 90 more minutes to play," he said.
His counterpart, Paul 'Tegat' Davis, said having the advantage from the first leg is crucial, but noted that Tivoli are a relentless team and will fight them to the very end.
"It's very important we got this win. As long as we can play our game, defend and attack as a team and score some goals, no doubt we will be victorious," Davis said.
"But this Tivoli team, they never stop running. So we will have to know how we deal with them in the second game because they are going to come for the second game and we know that," Davis stated.
MoBay will be without their talisman, Shaniel Thomas, who hobbled off in the first leg with a knee injury.
"We have to play more organised and get more goals. It's a new game. We can't say because we won 1-0 or 2-1 it is over. There is a next leg. Another 90 minutes. So we have to be prepared for that."
After feeling out Portmore United in the first leg of their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) quarter-final at Stadium East on Friday, Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid believes they have seen enough of their opponents to take advantage when they meet today at 6 p.m.
Cavalier came from behind to draw the first leg 1-1, and were the better team in the second half after Portmore dominated the first stanza.
"Portmore started well (first leg) and we had to contend with it. They used a formation, we have never seen them play, 4-4-2, and it took some adjusting," he assessed. "They usually play 4-4-3 or 3-4-3, so that was a little problem because we didn't set up for that. But we were able to adjust and compete on an even keel.
"But we have seen what they have to offer. It is a lot, so we have to assess what it is and see how we can counter that. Now we have seen them with three different formations. We will look at them and come back."
Although pleased with his team's first leg performance, Portmore's head coach Rodolph Austin says they need to take their chances.
"That (scoring) has been our downfall this season. We don't score much. But at least we are creating the chances. So let's hope we can score them when it really matters," he said.
"The game is not over. But we are playing a very good team, the best in the Caribbean. We just have to respect what they can do and just evaluate," Austin added.
