Jamaica backed by a well supported crowd beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in their home leg Caribbean Football Union's (CFU) Nations Cup Soccer match at the National Stadium yesterday evening.

The local team will take their two-goal lead to Trinidad in the return encounter in Port-of-Spain. The match is scheduled to be played on Friday, June 19th.

Jamaica clad in their black, gold and green colours started off in flashing style as they quickly had the Trinidadian defence under pressure. Wayne Cargill on the right wing made the first two good moves getting easily through the Trinidad's left back on both occasions, but he wasted the opportunities with tame crosses giving the Trinidad defenders the easy task of intercepting.

With Jamaica holding tight in defence, Trinidad really gave them much work to do, on the few occasions that they attacked, especially from the left side.

As the game progressed, Jamaica were fully in control with Lenworth Hyde ticking the ball well, along with Cargill and Errol Blake. The first break came for Jamaica after Blake opened a gap in the defence. He played the ball to Michael Tulloch who failed to control.

Tulloch who was not getting the true knack of the game up to then, was given a good pass by Richard Murray and again he put down the chance by kicking tamely to goalkeeper Michael Maurice. In another few minutes a further break came for Jamaica and Tulloch missed for a third time after being sent clear by Murray but again he shot straight to goalkeeper Maurice who left his line to intercept. Tulloch missed another scoring opportunity when his shot tipped the goalkeeper's fingers and went goal wards and when looking like a certain goal, the ball got a bounce inches from the line and sailed over the bar.

On the resumption, Jamaica made a change bringing on Andred Andrews for Tulloch. The move paid off well as within a minute of the resumption a goal was in the back of the Trinidad net.

It was Andrews movement which brought the goal. He collected the ball, ran between two defenders and kicked but his shot bounced off the chest of the goalkeeper. The ball rebounded into play and from an ensuing melee between the defenders of Trinidad and the forwards of Jamaica, Lenworth Hyde finally crashed a scissors kick into the back of the net. With the home crowd behind them, Jamaica applied more pressure on the Trinidad defence which stood out well, until the local team forced a corner. The corner kick taken by Hyde was brilliantly nodded home in a flash by his club mate and centre half O'Neil Russell.

Trinidad now trailing 2-0 became very desperate in pulling back one and at times they came close with some good teamwork, but lost possession of the ball inside the Jamaica goal area.

As the minutes began to tick away, Jamaica should have increased their score by two more goals. Blake missed an opportunity by cutting the ball to his left foot had a defender intercepted and Martin Woodstock pushed went wide from the goal after he intercepted a back pass by a defender and goalkeeper Maurice off his line.

Jamaica started with Orville Edwards-goal, Donovan Livingston, Roy Welsh, O'Neil Russell, Alty McKenzie-defenders, Martin Woodstock and Lenworth Hyde-links, Errol Blake, Michael Tulloch and Wayne Cargill-forwards. Substitutions were Andred Andrews for Tulloch and Clarence Prendes for Cargill.

Trinidad and Tobago take-the-field eleven at the start were Michael Maurice-goal, Brian Williams, Reynold George, Wayne Joseph, Joel Rahim-defenders, Garfield DaSilva, and Terry Williams, Curtis Murrell-links, Oscar Waldron, Cleveland Mendez and Neville Donoon-forwards. Substitutions were Allan Anderson for Williams and Frank Haynes for Waldron.