A dramatic own-goal by Linval Lewis in time added propelled Portmore United to an exciting 4-2 win over Sporting Central Academy (SCA) and reduced the lead atop the Red Stripe Premier League to five points.

With Sporting rallying from three goals down to trail 2-3 and pressing for the equaliser in the dying moments, their brave efforts were dashed by arguably the best goal of the match.

Portmore’s Adoah Nickle broke free and Lewis chased him down, but watched agonisingly as his attempted clearance from 25 metres flew over goalkeeper Sanchez Lloyd, who was barely off his line.

It was a good win for the champions as they secured their eighth victory from 15 games to consolidate second spot with 26 points, and more importantly, reduce Harbour View’s lead to just five.

Sporting, who were suffering their sixth defeat in eight games, remain eighth on 20 points.

Despite the close encounter, the match could have been over from the first half by a rampaging Portmore United aggregation that raced to a 2-0 lead courtesy of an Alanzo Adlam’s seventh-minute penalty and Trevol Smith’s 14th-minute strike.

Defender Ryan Wellington made it 3-0 with a glancing header from a corner kick in the 68th. But Sporting rallied and LeVaughn Williams grabbed two goals in four minutes, in the 79th and 83rd, for his sixth and seventh goals of the season to be joint top-scorer alongside Rafeik Thomas of Boys’ Town.

With the stage set for a grand finale, the Clarendon outfit was pressing for the equalier when they were caught on the counter and with Nickle bearing down on goal, Lewis’ challenge sailed over his bewildered goalkeeper in the 90+3 minutes.

Winning coach Andre Waugh said it was a good game for many reasons following their two-game losing streak.

“It was important that we got three points today; it was even more important that we got some goals because that was always a sour point for us this season,” said Waugh.

Sporting’s interim coach Vassell Reynold said going down 2-0 against Portmore was always going to be hard work from there.

“But we made some adjustment and the last 10 minutes of the first half we were still in the games despite being 2-0 down. We pressed them a little bit higher and got some opportunities and scored, so overall it was almost a game of two halves, but we shouldn’t have conceded four goals,” said Reynolds.