It took penalty kicks to decide this year’s champions of the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup title, but in the end Garvey Maceo held their nerve to capture the trophy.

Garvey Maceo, who were winning their third title, defeated first-time finalists McGrath 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out. Both teams played out an exciting 1-1 draw at full time.

Devone Davis scored for McGrath in the 15th minute while Omarian O’Brian netted for Garvey Maceo in the 90th minute.

The first half started at a high pace as both teams showed their intent of scoring early in the match. However, it was Davis who gave McGrath the lead with a brilliant sole effort.

After dribbling around two defenders inside the 18-yard box, Davis then unleashed a powerful left-footed shot past goalkeeper Garfield Tomlinson.

However, despite going down 1-0 early in the first half, Garvey Maceo controlled the tempo of the remainder of the half and pressed for the equaliser. But their attacks through the midfield as well as on the flanks were nullified by the McGrath defenders.

Davis, who is one of McGrath’s best players this season, missed an opportunity to increase his team’s lead in the 35th minute when he headed wide of the target from 10 yards. Davis was later substituted five minutes into the second half due to injury.

Despite, Davis’s departure McGrath kept on pressing for the second goal and came close to scoring in the 52nd minute, but a header by Jimm Mitchell was cleared off the line by Garvey Maceo’s defender Wilton Williams.

Garvey Maceo fought gallantly in the second half to score but they were kept at bay by a very solid McGrath defensive unit led by Jamari Fowler and David Hutchinson.

McGrath’s resistance was broken deep into added time when O’Brian struck home a powerful shot past goalkeeper Orlando Griffiths to send the game into penalties.

The Linstead-based McGrath, who won the Ben Francis Cup last season, made it to the semi-finals of the daCosta Cup for the first time in 2019.