Three different players were on target as Central FC crushed fellow T&T Pro League club, W Connection 3-0 to keep hold of its Caribbean Football Union Club Championship crown at a rain-soaked Stade Sylvio Cator Stadium, Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Sunday.
In a repeat of last year's decider, which Central FC won 2-1, the two Couva-based rivals fought out an epic battle in front of several thousand spectators in a match that was shown live on Haitian TV.
The game began in nearly monsoon like conditions on the artificial turf of Haiti's national stadium with Central FC needing a first win over its rivals since the first match of the Pro League season back in September when they lifted the Charity Shield to secure back-to-back titles.
Since then, W Connection had managed to get the better of Central FC in three league matches and bashed them 4-2 in the Lucozade Goal Shield semifinal two weeks ago at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo.
But it was Central FC which took the lead in the ninth minute when Marcus Joseph converted from a corner.
Things became a lot tougher for the "Savonetta Boys" as W Connection is known when Shadon Winchester was judged to have elbowed Central FC defender Keion Goodridge and was awarded a straight red card.
This was a bitter blow for W Connection as Winchester was a potent force, having scored the second goal on Friday that killed off Jamaica's Arnett Gardens in the semifinal, 2-0 victory.
Yet being reduced to ten men in the first half only seemed to make W Connection more determined and within minutes they were awarded a penalty.
However, Alvin Jones, W Connection's dead ball expert, and scorer of the opening goal in their semifinal win at the same venue on Friday saw his attempt well saved by Central FC 21-year-old goalkeeper Javon Sample.
Sample started the tournament as Central FC's third choice keeper despite captaining T&T's national Under-20 team, but first choice keeper, Jan-Michael Williams injured his shoulder in the group match vs Montego Bay in Jamaica in March and will not play again this season while reserve keeper, Akel Clarke, a Guyanese national team goalkeeper had stepped up admirably to replace T&T's first choice custodian, but he suffered a knee ligament injury in Fridays semifinal against hosts Don Bosco.
Sample, who has been with Central FC since the club's first season in 2012, jumped into the high pressure game and won the match for The Sharks with two saves in the penalty shoot-out.
On the resumption, Central FC started brightly and came close to a second goal, with speedy midfielder Darren Mitchell missing a golden opportunity while fellow Tobagonian Jamal Jack had a decent shout for a penalty waived off.
In last year's CFU final, Connection ended the game against Central with nine men, and so it was again this year as Jones' two footed tackle was penalised with a second yellow- card.
The two man disadvantage for W Connection left them vulnerable as they chased an equaliser and it was Central's maverick striker, Jason Marcano who reaped the reward by netting his team's second before Mitchell hit home a late item for a 3-0 win.
Central FC, fielding a team comprised entirely of T&T players, became only the second team after Puerto Rico Islanders to do with an all home-based squad.The win was also a testament to the strength of the T&T Pro League as yet again, two teams from T&T made it to the final.
Overall, 11 of the 16 CFU finals have now been won by clubs from T&T, as compared to three from Jamaica, while there have been ten T&T runners-up and two Jamaican clubs.
Both Central FC and W Connection will now look ahead to the Scotibank Concacaf Champions League Group stages for 2016/2017.
CFU 2016 HONOURS LISTS
Most Valuable Player: Leston Paul
Most Goals: Darren Mitchell & Marcus Joseph
Best Defensive Player: Javon Sample
Fair Play Award: Central FC
