MARGAO
Guirdolim Club booked a spot in the semifinals of the 35th All Goa St. Anne’s Festival Inter-Village Soccer Tournament, organized by Ponda Footballers in association with SAG and powered by the Bhatikar Charitable Trust. The exciting quarterfinal clash was played at the Animal Husbandry Ground, Curti-Ponda.
In a high-scoring encounter, Guirdolim narrowly defeated Assonora United 5-4 in regulation time.
Assonora took the early lead in the 10th minute through Dhaku Gaonkar, but Guirdolim responded quickly, equalising in the 14th minute via Moses D’Sa. Guirdolim went ahead in the 33rd minute, courtesy of Melvin Carvalho.
After the break, Assnora made it 2-2 when Kunal Salgaocar curled in a stunning free-kick in the 36th minute. However, Guirdolim quickly regained control. Moses D’Sa scored his second goal just a minute later, followed by Rivaldo Cardozo, who extended the lead to 4-2 in the 42nd minute with a neat finish from a diagonal pass.
Assonora showed resilience, with Kunal Salgaocar pulling one back in the 43rd minute to make it 4-3. But Rivaldo Cardozo restored the two-goal cushion in the 50th minute with a powerful strike from outside the box. Assonora's Satyavan Gawas scored a late free-kick in the 52nd minute to reduce the deficit to 5-4.
Assonora had a golden chance to level the match, but Dhaku Gaonkar’s shot narrowly sailed over the crossbar in the dying moments.
Satyavan Gawas of Assonora United was named Man of the Match, with the award presented by Orlando Fernandes.
In the semifinals, Guirdolim Club will face SAI Avtar Anjuna on Sunday, while Don Bosco Oratory Fatorda will clash with Nerul Sports Club on Saturday.
