Portmore United’s winless streak in the Digicel Premier League (DPL) stretched to five matches after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Rivoli United in their late game at the Ferdie Neita Park on Sunday.

Shauntel Mundle fired the home team ahead in the 73rd minute, even though they had been reduced to 10 players due to the red card ejection of Sheldon Battiste in the 37th minute.

However, a defensive blundered allowed Valentino Gardener to net the equaliser for the visitors two minutes later.

The poor run of results and lack of goals continue to haunt the former champions, but coach Linval Dixon is confident they will overcome this wretched period.

“We got our early chances to score, we eventually scored one and lapsed in concentration and gave back a goal, but the good thing is that for the last four games we didn’t score and we scored today (Sunday), so that is something we have to work on and hopefully next game it gets better,” he said.

The hosts were all over their opponents in the opening minutes and created two good chances in the early exchanges, and Gary McIntosh should have put them ahead midway the half, however, he directed his effort wide from five yards after left unmarked at the far-post on a corner.

Portmore then lost Battiste, minutes later when Gardener broke loose and skipped by the lunging defender, who cut him down and was shown a straight red for the tackle.

But Portmore United continued to have the ascendancy and late in the half the powerful McIntosh was inches away when he helped on a header from Ricardo Cousins, but Leon Goffe in the Rivoli United goal turned it away for a corner.

The usually energetic and spirited Rivoli were subdued for the entire first-half, creating no clear opportunity, but they were much improved after the restart and Gardener should have put them in the lead in the 57th minute.

However, Garice McPherson did well to push Gardener’s well-placed shot out for a corner.

Despite playing a man short, Portmore never looked it and Bryan Bayliss wasted a good chance when he controlled a long ball beautifully inside the area, only to lift his shot over the bar from 10 yards.

They eventually broke the deadlock when Portmore were awarded a free-kick just outside the area. Mundle stepped up to hit an unstoppable shot past Goffe in goal, albeit from a deflection.

But Portmore might have celebrated too long, because two minutes later the ball was played inside the area where Adrian Mitchell’s attempted clearance fell into the path of Gardener, who tucked it under McPherson for the equaliser.

Despite not being able to take the advantage of the 10-man Portmore United, Rivoli’s coach Bradley Stewart thought it was a fair result.

“They went down to 10 men and I thought we should have capitalised and taken more possession, but Portmore worked hard to make up for the man they lost.. and I thought it was a fair score,” he said.

Teams: Portmore United — Garice McPherson, Adrian Mitchell, Sheldon Battiste, Tyrone Sawyers, Adrian Reid, Mario Harrison (Steven Morrissey 68th), Ricardo Cousins (Bryan Bayliss 68th), Mario Swaby, Kemeel Wolfe (James Thomas 79th), Gary McIntosh, Shauntel Mundle.

Booked: Battiste (red 37th), Swaby (45th), Harrison (17th).

Subs not used: O Campbell, K Bennett, T Smith, A Lindsay.

Rivoli United — Leon Goffe, Christopher Hayles (Barrington Planter 15th), Ricardo Knight, Mark Newsome, Valentino Gardener, Kirk Ramsey (David Lewis 66th), Devon Hodges, Derrick Planter, Kemar Brown (Owen Parker 79th), Omar Parker, Fabian Gordon.

Booked: Hodges (39th), Newsome (42nd), Gardener (45th), Omar Parker (79th).

Subs not used: J Oakley, B Bennett, A Daguilar, M Henry.

Referee: Kevin Thomas

Assistant Referees: Kedlee Powell, Antoinette Williams

Fourth Official: Karvel Banton

Match Commissary: Norman Blair