Delfines del Este thrashed Defence Force 3-0 in Group Stage 5 of the CONCACAF Club Championship Caribbean qualifiers on Monday night. The hosts dominated possession and chances from the opening whistle, with E. Gomez netting twice to seal a comfortable victory. Four goals in the match, though two came in quick succession, decided the contest before Defence Force could mount any real challenge.
C. Almonte opened the scoring in the 14th minute, slotting home after a period of sustained pressure. And here's the thing — the visitors had barely touched the ball, their midfield being suffocated before E. Gomez doubled the lead six minutes later. The match had barely settled into a rhythm when Gomez struck again in the 35th minute, leaving the defence scrambling.
Defence Force made three changes at half-time, bringing on J. Matthews, K. Goddard and J. Sanchez in a desperate attempt to shift momentum. By then, the deficit was already too great to overcome. J. Vidale arrived in the 56th minute, but a yellow card for S. Noel in the 57th minute underscored how frustrated the visitors had become.
J. Garcia pulled the final nail in the coffin in the 81st minute, though the match had long been beyond doubt. More substitutions followed — D. Losada and E. Gomez came off for Defence Force in the 61st minute, while R. Moore, Y. H. Hurtado A. and S. Bertrand joined the fray for the hosts.
The statistics told a one-sided tale. Delfines controlled 68 per cent of possession and registered seven shots on target compared to Defence Force's two. The visitors managed only one yellow card between them, a reflection of how little time they had to impose themselves on the game.
To be fair, this result does little for either side's standing at this stage. Delfines have now won two of their last five matches after a run of unconvincing draws, while Defence Force's recent form has been nothing to write home about — they lost 0-2 to Sando earlier this month and battered by 0-3 against Viollt in August.
