By Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
Portmore United's Oneil 'Chippy' McDonald dribbles between two defenders from Netherland Antilles champion team, FC Barber, during their CONCACAF Club Championship first leg tie at Ferdie Neita Park yesterday. McDonald scored at the 12th minute to hand Portmore a 1-0 victory.
PORTMORE UNITED kicked away goal chances like rice grains and it was hardly surprising their coach was anything but pleased following their 1-0 triumph over Curaçao team FC Barber yesterday.
Oneil McDonald provided that tad bit of satisfaction and advantage by scoring at the 12th minute for the national champions in their first leg CONCACAF Club Championship meeting at Ferdie Neita Park.
"A bit disappointed," was Portmore coach Lenworth Hyde's reaction to the scoreline. "We got a lot of chances that we should have scored. We scored an early goal and I think the players relaxed. I think we need to be more hungry. We need more players to step up and score the goals."
SQUANDERED
The Jamaican team squandered most of its chances in the last quarter of the game and though they were guilty at times of not finishing properly, the brilliance of the Dutch Caribbean team's goalie, Marcello Pisas, and long-haired central defender Federicio Hernandez, who made some key interceptions, played a huge role in the final margin.
Not surprisingly though, the man who forced the most saves from Pisas was Roen Nelson, last season's record Premier League hit-man, who came off the bench near the last quarter hour. Nelson also went closest to getting a second goal for the team with a shot against the crossbar in the final minute.
The visitors also had their moments but were most consistent in the first 20 minutes of the second half when they sustained good pressure and hit several shots on Portmore's goal. Once they faded, however, Portmore took charge and then came the barrage of unfulfilled opportunities.
With only one team certain to advance from this home-and-away series, the players fought hard and the effects were vivid as all six substitutions (three apiece) came with the players departing clearly suffering from injuries.
However, what the game had in spirit was lacking in quality, much of which resulted from the bumpy state of the pitch that threw off the important first touches to spoil many promising openings.
"We had a problem with the field," commented FC Barber's coach, Norman 'Nooi' Girigorie. "The field is not good."
The return match against the Netherland Antilles' back-to-back national champion team is set for next Wednesday in Curaçao and both camps were optimistic of their chances.
