Army teams set up mega clash for First Citizens Cup final

DEFENCE Force’s TT Premier Football League (TTPFL) tier one and tier two teams will contest the First Citizens Cup final on June 18 after getting contrasting semifinal wins at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Balmain, Couva on June 11.

Defence Force’s tier one team, the First Citizens Cup holders and the 2024/25 TTPFL champions, got a comfortable 3-0 win over MIC Matura ReUnited while Defence Force’s tier two outfit got a thrilling 3-2 comeback win against the favoured Miscellaneous Police FC.

Having already beaten tier one clubs San Juan Jabloteh and Prisons FC, the Army/Coast Guard combinations showed their recent results were no fluke as they dug deep to turn back tier one’s third-place finishers in a rainy affair.

Both teams created presentable chance early on, but it was Police who drew first blood in the 27th minute when veteran defender Elijah Belgrave scored with a skimmer from about 25 yards out.

Defence Force II didnt take long to respond, as industrious striker Shaquille Holder tapped in from close range in the 27th minute after Police captain Adrian Foncette spilled a right-side cross from Phillip Tinto. Both sets of players struggled on the slick surface, and Defence Force II goalie Dwayne Thomas was fortunate not to concede in the 34th minute after he made a meal of a left-side corner from Jabari Mitchell.

Just five minutes later, Thomas had to pick the ball out of his net as Defence Force II midfielder Jesse Joseph inadvertently steered a right-side cross from Kwesi Allen past the hapless goalie.

With Police holding a 2-1 at the start of the second half, end-to-end action ensued as both Foncette and Thomas were forced into decent saves.

In the 79th minute, the lawmen should have put the game beyond all reasonable doubt but flanker Kadeem Hutchinson unselfishly shot into the side-netting from a tight angle with substitute Mikaeel Gordon unmarked in the penalty area.

Police regretted Hutchinson’s miss soon after, as Holder made it 2-2 when he grabbed his double in the 84th minute with a thumping right-footed shot into the top corner after receiving a through pass from Dylon King. In the third minute of second-half stoppage-time, Hutchinson almost atoned for his earlier miss but his close-range header was smartly kept out by the feet of Thomas.

With penalty kicks looming, Defence Force II completed the comeback at the death when former first-team regular Dwight Quintero sent a powerful header past Foncette and into the back of the net from a right-side King corner in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage-time.

It was a quite dramatic end to a contest which offered a lot to the neutrals, with Defence Force II continuing their giant-killing run.

In the final, Defence Force II will meet familiar foes in the Army/Coast Guard combination’s tier one team who got goals from Jelani Peters, Darius Ollivierra and substitute Reon Moore as they brushed aside the threat of tier two outfit Matura.

With players such as Jabari St Hillaire, Isaiah Garcia, Kaihim Thomas and top-scorers Isaiah Leacock and Kevin Molino absent because of national duty, Defence Force took the lead after just five minutes when Peters headed in a corner from Joshua Araujo-Wilson.

Coach Densill Theobald’s team then dropped their intensity for much of the first half, though, and he swiftly responded by making as many as four halftime changes.

The experienced Moore was one of the players inserted, and the speedy forward made his presence felt with a goal and assist before he was issued a red card in the 61st minute.

Before that, Moore made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute when he stylishly glanced home a cross from Shaquille Bertrand.

Seconds later, Defence Force put the game out of reach when Ollivierra scored with a cheeky dink after working a one-two with Moore.

On an otherwise flawless night, Theobald’s troops were reduced to ten men just after the hour mark when Moore was shown a straight red for a studs-up challenge from behind on Kendes Garcia.

With defender Justin Garcia being called up to the Soca Warriors squad for the Concacaf Gold Cup, Theobald could be without as many as seven first-team regulars for next week’s final in Couva.

For the Defence Force II outfit, they will now have their eyes on another upset and a $100,000 top prize.