Nodley Wright, Freelance WriterRIVOLI FOOTBALL club were in spanking form yesterday as they outclassed Invaders of Trelawny 4-0 in their Wray and Nephew National Premier League fixture at the Elliston Wakeland Centre.
A double strike from substitute Marvin Henry and one each from Omar Parker and Sean Coleman were enough to propel the St. Catherine team to their handsome victory.
After a fairly even first half hour in which both teams traded attacks and created and missed chances, Omar Parker fired his team into the lead. A beautifully swerved free-kick by Errol Wilkie from the left of the 18-yard box where Ricardo Geddes had fouled Brazilian Mauricio Alencar, was met with a well-executed side-footer from Parker.
Rivoli continued in the same vein as they finished the first half and could have extended their lead just three minutes into the half. The creative Devon Hodges released Coleman just inside the 18-yard box and he shot wide.
Invaders did not lay down and play dead, they tried to hit back. Minutes later Dwayne Chambers worked his way from the half line to just inside the 18-yard box and fired just high.
Rivoli extended their lead in the 58th minute through Coleman. In a driving move Hodges released Coleman inside the 18-yard box and with just Kenrick Blair in goal to beat, he made no mistake as his shot cannoned past Blair.
The chances continued to come for Rivoli but they wasted them. Derrick Planter could have made it 3-0 in the 74th minute with Hodges again the provider but Planter blasted wide from just outside the six-yard box.
Henry made his presence felt in the 90th minute after blasting home a pass from Wilkie. He added his second and his team's fourth in time added, heading home a cross from fellow substitute Rueben Whittaker.
"It was a particularly good win given that we won on the road. A win of this magnitude says that we are doing something right," a pleased Bradley Stewart of Rivoli said at the end of the game.
Invaders' Cassman Williams felt that his team fell away in the second half.
"My observation is that we played the first half with purpose and created a number of chances but did not capitalise. In the second half we started in a similar spirit but after about five to 10 minutes Rivoli took over the game and maintained the upper hand throughout," Williams said.
He added: "From then on the effort was not forthcoming. They were lackadaisical.
"Right now what we are at a stage where we have to rebuild for the second round. We have some players who it will be difficult to motivate. We need to get players who are willing to play whether there is money or not."
