Puerto Rico Islanders 2 - 0 Cruz Azul (First Leg, CCL Semifinal)
Tuesday, 17 March 09, 09:05 PM · Comments (0)
Gbandi 5, Addlery 37 (PRI)
There is still magic in the glass slipper. Puerto Rico made sure to take a 2-0 advantage on to the Estadio Azul on April 7th with first half goals from Liberian Sandi Gbandi and Jamaican Nicholas Addlery at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.
Puerto Rico struck early with a rare well worked move in a match that proved very scrappy for the most part. Lovely interplay led to Josh Hansen playing a beautifully weighted ball to Gbandi in the box, Gbandi applied a textbook finish to put the hosts ahead with barely five minutes gone. The goal certainly delivered a shock to the Mexicans system.
Later in the first half Addlery would make it 2-0 as he got his foot on a well-placed Gbandi freekick to poke the ball around the goalkeeper.
Puerto Rico had a real shout for a penalty turned down in the second half as Hansen was seemingly hauled down in the area, the replays did show contact with the man and not the ball. Cruz Azul will count themselves extremely lucky as 3-0 would have been crushing.
The cementeros were not without chances though but they often found themselves denied by Puerto Rico custodian Bill Gaudette, the rugged former Brooklyn and Columbus goalkeeper making several fine saves despite nursing a shoulder injury he received in a second half collision.
Cruz Azul tempers came to a boil in stoppage time as Puerto Rico seemed more than content to waste time in the corner. No fewer than three players from the Mexican side were booked after falling victim to mind games from Trinidad and Tobago international Kendall Jagdeosingh.
Puerto Rico will go to the altitude of Mexico City with a 2-0 advantage, proud to not concede an away goal, but they will have to be very mindful of Montreal's quarterfinal collapse in Torreon.
Man of the Match: Bill Gaudette (GK), Puerto Rico on 90 minutes.
Att: 12,751 (of 12,500 seats).
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Bobby
Charlotte, US
Random rantings about football
On Just two small teams from Glasgow