DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Cibao FC of the Dominican Republic rallied from a two-goal second half deficit to earn a 3-3 draw versus Cavalier of Jamaica in the thrilling finale to Group A of the 2022 Flow Concacaf Caribbean Club Championship on Tuesday at the Estadio Cibao FC in Santiago de los Caballeros.
The result means that Cibao have claimed the top spot in the group, joining Violette of Haiti from Group A in the semifinals.
Cavalier needed a win to advance to the next round and could not have asked for a better start, as they took a 1-0 lead in the 29’ when the Cibao defense was unable to clear its lines, allowing Dwayne Atkinson to pounce on a loose ball and fire into net.
Eight minutes later in the 37’ there was more good fortune for the Jamaicans, as a shot took a wicked deflection off of Cibao DF Oscar Florencio and caromed into net to double the Cavalier advantage to 2-0.
The home side looked to change things in the second half, and they pulled within a goal at 2-1 in the 52’ courtesy of a brilliant, curling left-footed effort from Juan David Diaz.
But Cavalier would respond in the 63’ and it was Atkinson doing the damage again by receiving a cross from the left wing and finishing in between a pair of Cibao defenders to make it 3-1.
There were still some twists to come, as a second yellow card for Cavalier’s Jeovanni Laing in the 67’ reduced the Jamaicans to 10 men with ample time remaining.
The resulting free kick saw Cavalier GK Jeadine White make an initial block, but Dairin Gonzalez was there to clean up the rebound and bring Cibao to within 3-2.
Cibao could smell the comeback and by the 74’ it was even, 3-3, with Erick Paniagua getting a slight touch on a cross from the left and redirecting into net.
Cavalier launched one final effort at finding a winner but could not find a way past Cibao’s 15-year-old GK, Edwin Frias, for a fourth time, resulting in a share of the spoils and a first-place group stage finish for the tournament hosts.
