Julien Landeau scored the decisive goal in the 53rd minute as the bmobile Joe Public Super League outfit eked out a 2–1 win over T&T Pro League's Police to reach the semifinal of the Toyota Classic on Tuesday night. This was in the first match of a double-header at the Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya. Buoyed by its round-of-16 shock triumph over last year's winner and its senior clubmates, Joe Public took the field against the Lawmen in confident mood and opened the scoring through Devon King in the 16th minute which it held until Police midfielder Kaaron Foster equalised for his team a minute before the interval.
Eight minutes into the second-half, Landeau, formerly of San Juan Jabloteh, got what turned out to be the winner for the Joe Public Super League players to set up a semifinal clash with Lucozade Sports Goal Shield winner and T&T Football Federation FA Trophy beaten finalists, DirecTV North East Stars, which won by a similar 2–1 margin over Pro League champions, Defence Force. After a 0–0 first 45 minutes, Jamaican forward Sean Fraser fired Stars ahead in the 76th minute and five minutes later Defence Force substitute, defender Keston Williams headed into his own goal for a 2–0 deficit. With two minutes left in the match defender Michael Edwards pulled back a goal for the "Teteron Boys", however it wasn't enough to avoid a second straight loss to Stars following a 2–0 semifinal out in the FA competition last month. The semifinals will take place tomorrow at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, with the final carded for next week at Macoya.
Ma Pau, Jabloteh win on penalties
Down south at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, both San Juan Jabloteh, winners in 2008 and beaten in the final on three occasions, and Ma Pau set up a semifinal meeting after both registered 5–4 in a sudden-death penalty-kick win over 2005 winner, W Connection and Caledonia AIA, respectively. Ma Pau survived the 32nd dismissal of Densil Theobald by referee Neil Brizan, for stamping Kerry Noray, to hold Ma Pau to a 0–0 deadlock before former national and English club Walsall goalkeeper Clayton Ince's heroics secured a semifinal spot. And in the second match at Marabella, a clash of former winners, ten-men San Juan Jabloteh squandered a 2–0 lead late in the match before easing to a 5–4 penalty-kick win. Jabloteh seemed set for an easy passage into the last four when defender Karlon Murray (26th) and speedy Under-20 winger, Johan Peltier (85th) netted for a 2–0 lead, despite Murray being dismissed on the hour mark.
Results
Venue: Marvin Lee Stadium, Macoya:
Joe Public (Super) 2 (Devon King 16th, Julien Landeau 53rd) vs Police 1 (Kaaron Foster 44th).
Stars 2 (Sean Fraser 76th, Keston Williams 81st o.g) vs D/Force 1 (Michael Edwards 88th).
Venue: Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella:
Caledonia 0 vs Ma Pau 0
Ma Pau won 5–4 sudden-death penalty-kicks
W Connection 2 (4) vs San Juan Jabloteh 2 (5)
San Juan Jabloteh won 5–4 on kicks from the penalty spot
Matches
Tomorrow
Venue: Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar:
Joe Public (Super) vs North East Stars, 6 pm
Jabloteh vs Ma Pau, 8 pm