MACOYA, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago’s Joe Public eased in the next round of the CONCACAF Champions League when they easily defeated Brujas of Costa Rica 4-2 in their final preliminary match at the Marvin Lee Stadium here Thursday night. The Trinidadian Pro League Unit rushed to a 3-0 half-time lead before staving off a two-goal comeback from the visitors in the second half, to carve out a comfortable victory in the end.
They added another goal late on to cement their place in Group B with a 6-4 aggregate after drawing away 2-2 last week.
The reigning T&T champions set up their stall early with their skipper Kerry Baptiste leading the way. Barely four minutes into the match, Baptiste collected a ball backing the Brujas goal, turned in acres of space and curled a cultured right booter high into the goal with goalkeeper Danny Carvajal badly out of place.

Deon Carlyle Mitchell doubled the score line in the 39th, heading home from a free kick. Trent Noel found Mitchell from off the left flank and he rose to nod past the advancing Carvajal into the gaping Brujas goal.

Micah Lewis got in on the act in stoppage time at the end of the first half when he muscled his way through the heart of the Brujas defence, drifted wide and calmly slotted his right foot shot past the despairing Carvajal.

It was not all one way traffic, however, and Brujas gave a spirited second-half performance and pressed for goals. This paid off in the 63rd minute when Josimar Arias saw his free kick from just outside the box loop over the Joe Public wall and past a flat footed Glenroy Samuel.

Another Costa Rican attack resulted in a penalty as an off the ball challenge was deemed worthy of a foul, and Andres Nunez converted from the spot in the 71st minute.

Normal service was soon esumed when Andre Toussaint scored Joe Public’s fourth goal in the 76th minute.

Lewis had sprinted into the Brujas area and collided with keeper Carvajal who had spread to make a foot save off Lewis but Toussaint, who had been trailing the play, latched onto the ball and tapped home to round off a brilliant day at the office for the Trinidadians