TUCKER, St James — Montego Bay United won their first game of the Jamaica Premier League season when they ambushed high-flying Cavalier SC 1-0 in their first home game at Wespow Park in Tucker on Sunday.

A header from a corner in the second half from the Brazilian wing back Lucas Lima Correa — MBU’s first goal in their third game — was the difference as the former champions improved to four points.

Cavalier SC, who qualified for the Concacaf Caribbean Cup final and are into the Champions League next season, never got up to their best and failed to put any sustained pressure on the Montego Bay United team, who were anchored at the back by the impressive William Ferreira in the goal.

Neider Dos Santos, the Montego Bay United coach who described their 0-3 loss to Waterhouse FC on Monday as “a disaster”, said his team rebounded the way he hoped.

“Today we played a big team; Cavalier is one of the top teams in the island, and we study them a lot, and I think we deserved what we got,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “In the first half… our first half we were almost perfect, they could not challenge us, they could not trap us, and we had some chances and we did not take them.”

The Brazilian, who returned to Jamaica after two previous stints with Montego Bay United, said the second half “was a more wide open game”.

“I think we deserved the win. I would like to congratulate all the players as they stick to the game plan, and they played with heart, 110 per cent, which is what they have to do for every game,” Dos Santos said.

Rudolph Speid, the coach of the Cavalier team, said: “We just had an awful game and MoBay fought all the way and they got a break and scored against us, and it just wasn’t our game today.”

He said the breakdown was not in any specific area of the field, but that “I think it was the whole team.”

“We probably got two or three chances, which was unlike us, and we just could not get the midfield going, the passing was just awful, and I just thought we were a bit unlucky today,” noted Speid.

After failing to score in their first two games, and picking up just a point from their opening 0-0 draw against promoted Lime Hall Academy at Drax Hall two weeks ago, the home team were in control for most of the first half and were unlucky on a few occasions not to score.

Nevaun Turner, who was playing in a more advanced position than he is used to, headed a square from the right side over the Cavalier SC cross bar in the sixth minute and a low hard free kick taken by Jean Claudio Rios Ferreira from the right side in the 17th minute just missed the far post.

Ahmal Nugent-Hudson got his head to a corner but steered the ball wide in the 25th minute.

Shaniel Thomas, who has scored in virtually every one of Cavalier SC’s Concacaf games, had a clear chance at goal in the 53rd minute, but his shot lacked power and went straight to the Montego Bay United goalkeeper.

Montego Bay United got the breakthrough in the 67th minute when Correa made a corner from the left side and powered it past Cavalier SC’s goalkeeper Vino Barclett.

The visitors threw everything at Montego Bay United who held on and could have added to their scoreline late in the game.