Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Garth Boota of Arnett Gardens (left) tries to get by Portmore's Ryan Powell during their Red Stripe Champions Cup encounter at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday. Portmore won 3-0 to advance to the semi-finals 3-1 on aggregate. - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
TWO GOALS by Roen Nelson and two red cards by Peter Prendergast highlighted a highly-charged Red Stripe Champions Cup quarter-final encounter at the Tony Spaulding Complex yesterday.
Nelson scored in the 30th and 45th minutes, following a ninth minute strike from Wolry Wolfe to guide Portmore United to an emphatic 3-0 thrashing of Arnett Gardens on their way to a 3-1 aggregate win.
It was the second time in recent weeks that Portmore invade the "Junglists" and came away 3-0 winners.
Arnett Gardens, missing Kevin Wilson who flew to Canada to play club football, lacked verve and looked tepid in one of their worst performances of the season.
QUICK CARDS
Not to be outdone, FIFA referee Prendergast flashed the red card twice in two minutes, sending Everton Bunsie of Arnett Gardens and Portmore's Demar Stewart to the dressing room early.
According to Prendergast, Bunsie was dismissed for elbowing Wolfe in the 31st minute while Stewart was sent packing in the 33rd for kicking Jonathan Williams in the face. All this happened in three minutes of high drama.
First, Prendergast awarded Portmore a penalty in the 30th minute which was hotly contested by the Arnett players and by the 33rd minute two players where given their marching orders by the no-nonsense referee.
Winning coach Paul Young had hoped for an early goal and that he got.
"We played perfectly today. The game plan was to dictate, the players executed and we could have had more goals. The guys did everything that we asked them to do.
"I saw their line-up and they looked a little weak. There was no 'Pele' Wilson out there and he is the one that gets them going," Young pointed out.
Michael Tulloch, coach of Arnett Gardens, was visibly a frustrated man trying to find words to explain his team's dismal performance.
"The discipline just wasn't there and the result justified how we played. I don't know what happened today, we lost it altogether.
GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT
"When you put in proper application, you get good results and when you go out there and play bad football you get bad results," he added.
Meanwhile, over at Kenilworth in Hanover, Sandy Bay's giant-killing run was halted when they succumbed 3-1 on penalties to Reno after playing to a 2-2 draw at home against their Westmoreland opponents.
With an aggregate score of 2-2 over two legs, it was down to the dreaded penalty kicks and the Premier League outfit survived to set up a clash with Portmore United in the semi-finals set for May 15.
In today's games, Tivoli Gardens entertain Harbour View at the Edward Seaga Stadium at 5:00 p.m. while Waterhouse takes on Rivoli in their rescheduled first leg at Drewsland, also at 5:00.
