JAMAICAN champions Tivoli Gardens hold a slight edge going into the second leg of the Caribbean Zone CONCACAF Champions Cup qualifier next Wednesday, after holding 2004 Trinidad and Tobago Pro League champs CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
And the Jamaicans showed enough to suggest they will be a very hard team to overcome on their home turf when the teams meet again in the tough Tivoli Gardens district in Jamaica.
On Wednesday night, a goalkeeper error by Jabloteh's Daurance Williams earned Tivoli Gardens a surprise 57th minute lead, when he allowed Fabian Davis' speculative shot from just over the half-line to leap off his body and spin into the Jabloteh goal.
Till then, the Jamaicans had not even had a single attempt on the T&T club's goal, but they had looked a well-organised squad with a tight defence.
Once behind, Jabloteh had no choice but to go into all-out attack and, after several good chances, the local team got an equaliser, just when they had seemed resigned to losing their home game.
Having troubled outstanding Tivoli custodian Kirk Porter with an earlier free-kick, Nigel Daniel totally bewildered the Jamaican keeper when he swung a right-foot shot around the Tivoli wall to pull Jabloteh level in the 89th minute of the match.
The recent promotion of veteran Angus Eve to the position of head coach at Jabloteh saw the return of Nigel Pierre, Ancil Elcock and Cyd Gray to the starting line-up.
But from the outset it was apparent that the well-schooled Jamaicans were intent on not allowing Jabloteh to play as freely as they did last season when dismissing another Jamaican club, Arnett Gardens, at the same stage of the tournament.
Tivoli Gardens played behind the ball, allowing very little space between them, and tackling quickly whenever Jabloteh picked up the ball.
The game developed into a tough, tactical affair, with Tivoli attemting to contain Jabloteh, who were making the running and striking on the counter-attack themselves.
Still, Peter Prosper was able to get off a powerful low shot in the penalty area which was foiled only by the agility of the Tivoli keeper.
And then on the half-hour, attacking midfielder Otis Seaton unleashed a free-kick which only just cleared the Tivoli crossbar.
Near the end of the first half, Prosper looked through the Tivoli back-line, until defender Victor Thompson produced a timely late lunge to cut out a through ball.
Throughout, Tivoli stroked the ball around the park, but they offered little real menace in attack. So seeing very little in front of him, Jamaican international midfielder Fabian Davis tried a long shot at the Jabloteh goal and must have been surprised to see the ball bounce through the keeper's legs and roll into the goal.
After the initial shock, Jabloteh attacked even more, forcing Porter to make a good stop from Ian Gray's hard, low shot from long range and Prosper seemed sure to get around the keeper after collecting a through ball, but the Tivoli custodian stuck out a hand to stop him.
Then in the 77th minute, Porter dropped Daniel's first free-kick at the foot of Jabloteh substitute Michael Celestine, who instead of scoring, drilled his shot into the side-netting.
Winger Josh Johnson, who came on as a sub, also ran through the Jamaican right flank on a couple of occasions and just missed the far post.
Tivoli also stepped up their attack on the break and several times looked capable of doubling their tally.
But it was their defenders who stood out, swarming their opponents whenever Jabloteh attacked.
When Otis Seaton's meandering run was stopped by a hefty Jamaican tackle from behind three minutes from the end, it was the fifth yellow card which the no-nonsense Tivoli team had conceded.
But just when it seemed they were on course for victory, Daniel came up with his goal for Jabloteh at the death.
The home crowd jumped to its feet as the local team recouped something in what was a good match.