In a night more memorable for its mayhem than its football, Montego Bay United escaped Sabina Park with a semi-final berth — not by brilliance, but by composure.
The scoreboard read 1-1 at full-time, but the real story was in the tension, the tempers, and the test of nerve. Montego Bay’s earlier 2-1 first-leg advantage gave them just enough insulation to ride out a volatile second leg against Tivoli Gardens and emerge with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Where Tivoli were fiery, MoBay were focused.
The breakthrough should have come earlier. Jourdaine Fletcher earned a penalty and stepped up — but wasted it twice: once from the spot, and again from six yards out on the rebound. The miss should’ve shifted momentum, but Tivoli’s response imploded.
Their goalkeeper, Nicholas Clarke, who had saved the penalty, undid his own heroics by confronting the referee and earning a straight red. Then came a domino effect: another red for their coaching staff, followed by Lennox Russell’s dismissal for a reckless challenge outside the box.
As Tivoli’s discipline unravelled, so did the match. Fans littered the pitch with bottles. Security stepped in. Time bled away.
Eventually, substitute Brian Brown made the most of Tivoli’s chaos, slipping the ball through the legs of a second-choice keeper to effectively kill the tie. A late goal by Malik Cocking in stoppage time proved irrelevant.
Montego Bay United didn’t win the night, but they won the war.
And now, they prepare to face league leaders Mount Pleasant — with belief, experience, and a reminder that sometimes, survival is just as important as style.
