Pro League
MARGAO
A late strike by Lenny Pereira helped Salgacoar FC edge past Churchill Brothers Sports Club 1-0 to round off their engagements on a winning note in the GFA Goa Pro League, at Panchayat ground, Nagoa on Sunday. There was no score at the lemon break.
The match started off with both the teams attacking from the word go. There were plenty of thrills at either end and the first half of the game saw the fans on the edge of their seats as both the teams were involved in a deadlock.
The game saw some fantastic moves on either end and both the teams created multiple chances but failed to convert. The frontlines of both teams were busy throughout as they combined well and displayed some good moves.
Post resumption, the Red Machines were a dominant lot with their forwards swarming all over the Greens' territory and tormented the rival defence with well orchestrated raids. On the other end, the Churchill Brothers defence soaked up the pressure and Lenny Pereira was rock solid at the back and thwarted rival attacks with neat tackles.
Churchill Brothers almost broke the deadlock but Salgaocar FC goalkeeper came to his side's rescue by denying Nicholas Fernandes a sure goal. Salgaocar also came close to scoring twice but Gilbert Olveira and Jaison Barbosa misdirected their shots.
The lone goal of the match came in the 81st minute when winger Brian Mascarenhas floated a flag kick inside the rival penalty box and Lenny Pereira made no mistake in beating the Churchill Brothers keeper. Churchill Brothers sufffered a further blow when their captain Elvis Baretto was ejected by the referee for a dangerous tackle on rival striker Umesh Harijan in the injury time.
With this win, Salgacar FC finished their campaign with 29 points from 18 matches and avenged their first leg defeat while Churchill Brothers completed their engagements with 31 points.
