Nine-man Police defeat Central Soccer World in Ascension

POLICE remained in second spot in the Ascension Football Tournament, with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Central Soccer World, in a seventh-round fixture at the Police Barracks, St James on Sunday.

The lawmen have 18 points from seven games, one point behind leaders Terminix La Horquetta Rangers, while Defence Force are third with 17.

Police finished the game with nine players, but they had little trouble in disposing of Central Soccer World, who stayed in ninth spot, among the ten competing teams.

Central Soccer World’s goalkeeper Nicholas Dick failed to hold on to a corner from Gabriel Nanton, and midfielder Simeon Bailey finished, from inside the penalty box, to give Police a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes.

Five minutes later, striker Jem Gordon timed his leap to perfection to head home a diagonal ball, from the left, by former TT midfielder Jabari Mitchell.

Police and TT goalie Adrian Foncette had a serious lapse in concentration, when he sent a pass straight to Anthony Parris, who placed his ball into the back of the net, in the 32nd minute.

However, Police restored their two-goal lead in the 37th, when Joel Lewis wrong-footed defender Simon Joseph, and tucked his left-footed shot past Dick.

In the second half, referee Gyasi McDonald had to issue marching orders to Bailey, for a second bookable offence, and central defender Kemron Purcell, for striking the face of Theophilus Bourne, during a confrontation.

On Saturday, in a double-header at the Arima Velodrome, AC Port of Spain rallied from a goal down to defeat Real West Fort United 2-1 and Rangers spanked Central FC 8-1.

In the AC Port of Spain-Real West Fort encounter, West Fort went ahead in the 25th minute, courtesy of a pair of former TT midfielders.

Captain Keron “Ball Pest” Cummings’ diagonal free-kick, from the right, was met by Sean De Silva, whose header was well-placed, to the right of goalie Jadel Poon-Lewis.

However, AC Port of Spain stormed back to take full points, with national futsal player Che Benny leading their charge, with goals in the 61st and 78th minutes.

The central midfielder got a return pass from striker Jaydon Prowell and, unmarked in the penalty box, he drilled his right-footed shot over the reach of stockily-built West Fort goalie Theon Brown.

Later in the second half, Benny took aim from outside of the penalty box with a left-footed shot, which was too hot to handle for Brown.

Rangers, the league leaders, kept their unbeaten run intact against an overpowered Central FC outfit.

Former TT winger Tyrone Charles and substitute Real Gill netted two goals apiece, while Jomoul Francois, Isaiah Lee, Jamal Creighton and an own goal added to Central FC’s misery.

Charles broke the deadlock in the 14th, when he got a return pass from Francois and blasted a right-footed shot past goalie Faqur Katibi.

Francois got in the act, in the 31st, when he dispossessed defender Leandro Da Costa and placed his shot beyond Katibi’s reach.

Katibi was at fault for Charles’ second goal, in the 36th, as he allowed a low left-footed shot to go under his body and over the goalline, despite a valiant effort from the goalie to avoid conceding his third.

Romario Burke missed a chance to reduce the deficit for Central FC, in the 53rd, when his penalty went wide of the mark.

That opportunity seemed to spur Rangers to go for the jugular, and they duly obliged.

Da Costa scored an own goal in the 58th, with a poor effort to block a pass from Charles, inside the penalty box.

Gill collected a ball from Charles, on the left flank, faked the challenge of defender Leonardo Da Costa and sent a left-footed past Katibi in the 72nd.

Three minutes later, Lee met a corner from the right by Gill and placed his shot to the left of Katibi, at the near post.

In the 79th, Charles, on the left, got a pass across the face of goal from Gill and, in turn, teed up his captain Creighton who finished from close range.

With three minutes of regulation time left, Jevaughn Thomas pulled one back from the penalty spot after Leandro Da Costa was impeded by Rangers’ goalie Jabari Brice.

But Gill wrapped up the scoring, in the last minute of stoppage time, with a tamely-hit left-footer which trickled past three defenders, and the outstretched right hand of Katibi.

On Friday, at the La Horquetta Recreation Ground in Arima, Deportivo Point Fortin got the better of Cunupia FC 2-0 and Defence Force hammered Moruga FC 8-0.

Points Standings – 1.La Horquetta Rangers 19; 2.Police 18; 3.Defence Force 17; 4.Cunupia FC 12; 5.Deportivo Point Fortin 11; 6.Real West Fort United 7; 7.AC Port of Spain 6; 8.Central FC 5; 9.Central Soccer World 4; 10.Moruga FC 0.