SAN PEDRO SULA,

Honduras (CMC):

Jamaican Nicholas Addlery emerged hero again for the Puerto Rico Islanders as they toppled home side CD Marathon 1-0, to eliminate the top Honduras club from the CONCACAF Champions League.

Going into the second leg with a 2-1 lead after their victory the previous week at home in Puerto Rico, the Islanders got a late goal from Addlery to win the return game 1-0 Wednesday night, giving them a semi-final spot 3-1 on aggregate.

Addlery and Trinidad and Tobago's Kendal Jagdeosingh were the scorers in the first-leg that provided the PR Islanders with their 2-1 advantage.

Safety-first strategy

Using a safety-first strategy to protect their first leg advantage, the PR Islanders played with determination and often with 10 men behind the ball, especially nearing the end.

Marathon were unable to pierce their defence and as the central Americans got desperate, thrusting players forward to tie the score on aggregate, they were hit on the counter-attack near the final whistle.

Josh Hansen found Addlery with a through ball down the middle after Puerto Rico gained possession close to the half-line.

The Jamaican outpaced Marathon's back line and - under pressure from a chasing defender - slotted home from the edge of the box, clinching his team's berth in the final four.

Aggregate win

The final whistle sounded moments later with the United Soccer Leagues (USL) side celebrating a fine aggregate win over the six-time Honduras club champions.

Addlery, a former Vancouver Whitecaps player, had the first of two goals which rallied Puerto Rico to a 2-1 win in the first leg a week earlier.

PR Islanders will now face Mexico's Cruz Azul in semis with the dates set at March 24-26 and April 7-9.