Audley Boyd, Assistant Sports Editor
FORT DE FRANCE, Martinique:

TROY Smith smashed in an extra-time goal for Jamaica's Reggae Boyz to register a 2-1 win over Grenada and move forward into tomorrow's Digicel Caribbean Cup final against Guadeloupe, at the Stade Pierre Aliker.

The Jamaicans are the defending champions and will be seeking their fifth title.

Smith, who replaced Shaun Francis at the 73rd minute, took a long cross from Rodolph Austin at the far post and hit a powerful grounder, to break the deadlock at the 98th minute, after both teams had played to a 1-1 regulation-time finish in the second semi-final at the venue in the Martinique capital.

Jamaica actually led at the seventh minute through a goal from Dane Richards, who gave another outstanding display as he terrorised the Grenadian defence and went close to scoring on a number of occasions.

real danger

However, the Jamaica team conceded four minutes later when Kithson Bain, the Grenadians' only real danger throughout, equalised.

Guadeloupe advance to the final with a lucky 2-1 win over technically better Cuba, who controlled most of their semi-final and missed numerous chances.

Feyusandri Fernandez put Cuba ahead at the 34th minute, but Guadeloupe hit back through goals from Gregory Gendry (54th) and Luc Lamboude (78th).

The Jamaica team finished the game with 10 players, as Clarendon College schoolboy Sergio Campbell was given a straight red card at the 112th minute. He had only been on the pitch for nine minutes, having replaced the injured Richard Edwards.

The Jamaica team management has filed an appeal, with a view to having the card overturned.

Edwards and Austin, who both shared the central midfield role, played outstanding roles in balancing the team offensively and defensively.

Edwards won many balls and used the ball quickly and smartly, while Austin also dispossessed the opposing players aplenty and drove the team forward with some surging runs down the flanks, from which he supplied many crosses.

The scoreline actually looked close, but Jamaica should have finished at least four goals to the better, but they squandered too many chances.

"I'm very delighted," Theodore Whitmore, the Jamaica team's head coach, said of their qualification for the final. "It's where we go from here in the final."

He added: "I think we created a lot of scoring opportunities in the run of play, to have put this game away early. Overall, it was a 10 per cent performance, but we're still in the final."

The Jamaicans had beaten Guadeloupe 2-0 in the group stage, but Whitmore said that result is cosmetic.

"It will be a totally different ballgame, this is a final and everybody wants to win a final, so we can't look on the past," he said.

Despite a disjointed performance, Jamaica, who often raced into attack, were the better offensive team, but could not make their superiority in effort and chances created reflect similarly on the scoresheet.

They never settled early, but took the lead with only seven minutes gone, after a ball booted long was mis-headed by a defender. Ryan Johnson retrieved it close to the byline and, with two defenders closing, held up possession long enough for Richards to arrive in the box, before feeding him a pass. With a clear look at goal, Richards dribbled forward, then drove a left-footed grounder between the near post and goalkeeper Andray Baptiste, to make the score 1-0.

well-played

However, the Jamaicans did not keep the advantage long as in the 11th minute, Bain, the lone striker amidst three defenders, was allowed to control, turn and shoot a grounder, which was well-placed and beat goalkeeper Dwayne Miller inside his far post, as he dived to the left.

There was not any great difference in terms of possession and the battles in the middle of the pitch, but the Jamaicans were bolder in their forward play, pushing with every opportunity and with numbers.

They were not generally fluent, as they made many errors in passing, mainly through selection, and turned over the ball much too easily. But with Richards, Johnson and Shelton patrolling the forward lines, the Reggae Boyz were always able to get behind the Grenadian backline.

Before the half had finished, the trio, along with Austin, got decent chances to score from inside the area or just around the edge, but failed to capitalise without forcing a save from the goalie.

Johnson was forced out of the game at the 24th minute, with an injury, and replaced by Omar Cummings, who was to get his fair share of scoring opportunities in the second half.

Five minutes after the restart, he was put clear through on goal, slipped the ball around the goalkeeper but not with enough pace, thus allowing a defender to get back and clear just before the ball could cross the goalline.

At the 73rd minute, Cummings would get an easier opportunity, which came from a corner kick. It was hit long to Adrian Reid, who lifted the ball to the far post, where the striker rose high and headed over the goal.

By that time, it was one-way traffic, as Jamaica stepped up their play and forced Grenada back inside their defensive third.

They managed to make some good openings but could not score, with a skied effort from Shelton inside the last five minutes being the clearest opportunity to score before the second half ended.

Extra time brought more misses, until Smith's angled drive finally gave the Reggae Boyz reward for their dominance, sending them forward to defend their crown.