Cibao FC pip Jabloteh for CFU Club Championship title

Defender Richard Madas’ firsthalf goal at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo was enough on Sunday night for the Dominican Republic outfit to hold off the 2003 champions Jabloteh, who failed to convert a scoring chance seconds into the match and also had a second half goal ruled out, with an offside call, by second assistant referee Dane Ritchie of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Cibao, though, a club only in their third year of existence and coached by legendary former Barcelona academy coach, Spain’s Albert Benaiges Sala, had been outstanding while breaking barriers throughout the tournament.

Benaiges’ side had become the first Dominican Republic outfit to progress past the first round group stage, something Atletico Pantoja and Atlantico failed to achieve last season as the first two teams to participate in the Caribbean Club Championship from that country.

Cibao then dethroned two-time Caribbean crown holders Central FC last Thursday to reach the final, and now they are champions—the first international title for a Dominican Republic club.

Central FC eventually had to settle for a fourth-place finish, going under 5-3 on penalties against Jamaica’s Portmore United following 120 minutes of play and a 2-2 regular- time draw in the third-place match which preceded the final.

However all is not lost for Jabloteh, Portmore and Central, who, as the Caribbean’s second, third and fourth-placed teams, respectively, will gain valuable international experience at the newly formed CONCACAF League, which kicks off in August, and includes 13 Central American teams.

The winner of the CONCACAF League also secures a berth at next season’s newly re-formatted CONCACAF Champions League which kicks off in February 2018, and will debut the bright orange of Cibao.

Cibao put the hurt on Jabloteh in the 31st-minute when defender Dabas beat Jabloteh goalkeeper Javon Sample after the Trinidadian side failed to clear a corner from Haitian playmaker Charles H?rold Jr. But Jabloteh had the earliest chance of the game when Trinidad and Tobago international winger Nathan Lewis headed tamely at Cibao’s Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Dominguez with less than 25 seconds played.

Jabloteh also started strong in the second half and three minutes in, Jamaican midfielder Keithy Simpson had the ball in the back of Dominguez’s net, only to be denied by the flag after a brilliant move on the left by Lewis who combined with Vurlon Mills before playing the ball across the area.

Dominguez then pulled off a fine low save to beat away a Jairo Lombardo effort just before the hour mark after Lewis had picked out Mills in the area with a cross.

However, finding the equaliser was as elusive as the unicorn, and without a natural forward at their disposal, Jabloteh failed to find a way back against, arguably, their toughest opponents of recent years.