Cavalier clipped by Haiti’s Real Hope

It was not to be for defending Jamaican champions Cavalier FC in last night's Concacaf Caribbean Cup fixture as they were clipped 2-1 by Real Hope Football Academy at the National Stadium. Cavalier suffered their first loss in the group stages of the Caribbean Cup after a come-from-behind victory from their Haitian opponents. Dwayne Atkinson had blasted Cavalier into the lead in the opening five minutes of the game before Rikanel Chery pulled Real Hope back level at the hour mark.

Former Haitian youth international Steeve Mondestin found the winner six minutes later for the visiting team. Cavalier came into the fixture with a perfect record as they had won their first two games against Mount Pleasant and Police FC while Real Hope were held to a 1-1 draw by Police FC in their last outing. Cavalier had the better of the early exchanges and were rewarded for their efforts with a goal through a brilliant combination between Shaquille Stein and Atkinson.



Stein, after beating his marker inside the box, laid the final pass into the path of Atkinson who made no mistake to send the Jamaican team into the lead. They would hold the lead until the second half when a string of passes from Real Hope unlocked the Cavalier defence. Chery's run behind the backline was left unchecked and he finished past Jeadine White who had rushed off his line to try and close down the angle.

It went from bad to worse for Cavalier as Mondestin would seal the victory from the penalty spot, sending White the wrong way in the process. Cavalier remain atop Group A with six points but Real Hope have closed the gap as they move up to second in the group with four points. They pass Mount Pleasant who have now dropped to third place in the group with three points.

Police FC remain fourth with a single point on the table while Arnett Gardens are at the foot of the table without a point. The next fixture for Group A will see Trinidadian club Police FC take on Arnett Gardens at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad on Thursday..