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Jamaica Waterhouse Club have mountain to climb to reach CFU Club Championship

Waterhouse's chances of advancing to the semi-final round of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU)'s Club Championships now depends on Deportiva Banda Abou of Curacao upsetting Baltimore Sportif today at their mini-stadium starting at 3:30 pm.

However, hosts Waterhouse still has a mathematical chance of advancing from the Group B which features Deportiva Banda Abou of Curacao and Baltimore Sportif of Haiti.

Jamaica's national champions will have to pray that Deportiva Banda Abou defeat Baltimore Sportif and then they beat Deportiva Banda Abou on Tuesday.

Each team would then have three points, with goal difference deciding the group winners.

Dealt a blow

Last Friday, Waterhouse received a severe blow after they crashed 2-0 to Baltimore Sportif of Haiti after playing with 10 men for 63 minutes.

Goals by Pierre Saint Jean in the 18th and Oumel Decius in 50th propelled Baltimore Sportif to a convincing victory and a foot into the semi-final round.

The white and orange-clad Baltimore Sportif with approx-imately 20 vociferous supporters could have won by a wider margin as they got two easy chances in the dying moments when the home team was pressing for a goal.

Waterhouse's Roberto Fletcher hit the outside of the upright in time added on and those missed chances might prove crucial in the final outcome on Tuesday.

Baltimore Sportif's coach, Pierre André Dorvilus, using one of his players as translator, said his team is well equipped and are on their way to topping the group.

"I know what my team has and I am happy to come here and get the victory. Whenever you are playing a tournament, it is the first game that counts and get the first three points," he said.

Still hoping

Meanwhile Barrington Gaynor, coach of Waterhouse, said his team still harbours hope of advancing.

According to him: "There are always possibilities. We have one more game to play, they have one more so we just have to take it from there.

"The opponent is very competent like I expected. We started slow and gave up a soft goal in the first half. Then we picked up the red card and it became an uphill task."

It will be an uphill task for Deportiva Banda Abou to defeat Baltimore Sportif based on their disciplined showing against Waterhouse.

Led by goalscoring captain Pierre Saint Jean, Baltimore Sportif have some quality players and are very comfortably at the back.

The likes of Ednerson Raymond, Luckson Joseph, Peter Germain and Carl Henry Volcy could secure their team's second victory and a semi-final spot today.

If that happens, the Tuesday clash between Waterhouse and Deportiva Banda Abou would be of academic interest only.