The gap at the top of the Goa Professional League extends to five points after Sporting Clube de Goa beat FC Goa.
Churchill Brothers thrash Vasco to remain in second, while Dempo and Salgaocar occupy third and fourth place spots after a 2-2 draw
Sporting Clube outplays FC Goa to stay on top
A 3-1 victory over FC Goa extended Sporting Clube de Goa’s lead at the top of the Goa Professional League table to five points.
Playing at the Duler Stadium, the league leaders went ahead in the 19th minute courtesy a well-placed freekick from 35 yards by George D’Souza.
The lead was doubled in the 39th minute. Marcus Mascarenhas snatched the ball from the FC Goa defense and squared it to Akeraj Martin who put the ball beyond the reach of Dylan Da Silva.
In the second half, Aaren D’Silva continued his form in front of goal. A header in the 53rd minute pulled one back for FC Goa.
The developmental side of FC Goa went down to 10 men in the 64th minute. Lalnuntluanga was shown a yellow card after a foul on Akeraj. The yellow card was quickly followed by another yellow as the forward reacted poorly towards the referee.
The match boiled over after a few minutes when both coaches were at loggerheads. The Gaur defense was put under pressure when
Sporting Clube restored their two-goal lead in the 71st minute. Stendly Fernandes’s cross was turned in by Akeraj. The ball went off the FC Goa midfielder, Leander, to make it 3-1.
The win takes Sporting Clube de Goa’s tally to 31 points from 15 matches at the top of the table. FC Goa are on 23 points from 13 matches.
Churchill put five past Vasco
Churchill Brothers registered a convincing 5-1 win against Vasco SC in the Goa Professional League played at Panchayat Ground, Nagoa.
Playing with a team comprising only of Indian players, Vasco fancied their chances against the I-League team.
The deadlock was broken in the 15th minute when Churchill Brothers were awarded a penalty courtesy a handball. Lalkhawpuimawia stepped up to successfully convert. Lalengzama made it score 2-0 with a neat placement shot off a cross from the right flank in the 29th minute.
Suraj Mondal had a chance to pull one back in the 32nd minute, but the Vasco striker blazed his spot-kick over the bar.
Vasco SC stitched a counter-attacking move where Mcliesh Pereira sent a brilliant pass to Micky Vaz who converted to beat keeper James Kithan from an angle. 2-1 after 43 minutes.
The second session belonged to Churchill Brothers FC. Churchill Brothers made it 3-1 when Wendell’s cross was deflected into the goal in the 60th minute.
Three minutes later it was 4-1 when Lamgoulen banged in from close to beat the Vasco keeper. Mauvin Borges converted a penalty in the 71st minute to make it 5-1.
Churchill Brothers FC are on 26 points from 12 matches, while Vasco SC are on 13 points in 15 matches played so far.
Dempo and Salgaocar play out 2-2 draw
Dempo Sports Club came from behind to grab a point against Salgaocar FC in a 2-2 draw in their Goa Professional League match played at Village Panchayat Ground, Nagoa.
Salgaocar FC took an early lead in the 10th minute through Chaitan Komarpant. Saeesh put the left-winger through on goal and his shot hit the post before entering the goal.
Crossing over, Dempo gifted the second goal to Salgaocar. A back pass by Fulganco Cardozo was intercepted by Devendra Murgaonkar. The forward promptly made it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
Dempo responded with two quick goals. Suraj Hadkonkar’s 40-yard freekick was poorly judged by the Salgaocar custodian as the ball entered the net. Five minutes later, the scores were level when Niraj Parekh headed in a cross by Shallum Pires.
Both teams created chances to take all three points, but defensive mistakes coupled by poor finishing ensured that the match ended in a draw.
Dempo nearly grabbed all three points in the closing seconds when Selwyn’s attempt to clear the ball hit his own post. The rebound fell to Beevan D’Mello, but the defender compensated for his mistake with a brilliant block.
The draw left Dempo in third place with 25 points from 13 points, while Salgaocar are on fourth place with 24 points from 15 matches.
Guardian Angel shut out Signals
Guardian Angel SC scored a narrow 2-1 win over Corps of Signals in the Goa Professional League match at the Rosary Ground, Navelim.
The opening goal came in the sixth minute when Bamba Musah’s shot at goal was saved by Signals keeper Binu. The ball fell into Agnelo Colaco’s path who had a simple tap in.
In the 40th minute, Guardian Angel doubled the lead when Bamba Musah ran with the ball in the box and laid a ground pass in the box to allow Kimron to make it 2-0.
Corps of Signals pulled a goal back in the 74th minute through Ankit Singh. The result was never in doubt as the Armymen are destined to be locked in a relegation dogfight this season.
As for their opposition, a midtable finish is a likely outcome for Guardian Angel as they are in seventh place with 17 points from 15 matches.
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