MARGAO: Poitomado comfortably defeated hosts Guirdolim 2-0 to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the 18th All Goa Guirdolim Panchayat Cup, held at the Chandor Church Sports Complex and organized by Guirdolim Club.
In the 20th minute, Poitomado capitalized on a counter-attack when Daulat played a precise pass to Hagan. The striker skilfully evaded a couple of defenders before calmly placing the ball into the far corner to give Poitomado a 1-0 lead.
The second half saw no improvement for Guirdolim, as they continued to squander chances. Mathew remained resolute in defense for Poitomado, thwarting Guirdolim’s best efforts to find an equalizer. Even the introduction of Hayden for Guirdolim couldn’t change their fortunes, as he too was unable to make an impact.
In the 50th minute, Daulat missed a golden opportunity to double Poitomado’s lead when he hesitated with an open goal in front of him. However, as Guirdolim committed more players forward in search of an equalizer, including their goalkeeper who was pushing up the field, Poitomado exploited the situation. Daulat, spotting the empty net, launched a lob from the halfway line to seal the victory with a second goal, effectively ending Guirdolim's hopes of a comeback.
Mathew’s outstanding defensive performance earned him the Player of the Match award, presented by Sudesh Bhise, Social Worker and Treasurer of Guirdolim Club.
