MIAMI, Florida – Robinhood of Suriname will be looking to overcome a 1-0 deficit when they host Dominican Republic side Moca in the second leg of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup semifinals on Thursday night at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Not only is a place in the Final of the Caribbean Cup at stake in this contest, but also the winner will qualify for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Moca emerged with the victory in the first leg last week at home thanks to a first half penalty conversion from Gustavo Ascona.
However, arguably, an even more important play was the sending off of Robinhood FW Shaquille Cairo in the latter stages of the first half. In the end, Moca were unable to make the most of their man advantage and Robinhood held on without conceding the rest of the way.
Because of his red card in the first leg, Cairo, who has scored five goals for Robinhood in the Caribbean Cup, will not be available on Thursday.
Instead, Robinhood will turn to the likes of Jamilhio Rigters, Renske Adipi and Allierio Belfor. Rigters has two goals and two assists, Adipi has 297 passes completed and Belfor leads the team in ball recoveries with eight.
Moca can reach their first ever Champions Cup with either a draw or a win and it would be a good sign if Ascona can once again find the opening goal for his side. He scored the first goal against Golden Lion, Defence Force and in last week’s first leg, which all resulted in Moca victories.
Match Officials Robinhood vs Moca
Alejandro Carrera and Richard Dabas were very good last week as well. Carrera registered three shots, while Dabas completed 54 passes. GK Odalis Baez has kept four clean sheets in the tournament, making 11 saves and eight clearances along the way.
