PANAJI
SDH Masters clinched the title in the 3rd South District Hospital – Ponda Trophy with a thrilling 3-2 victory over SDH Avengers in the final held at the Futsal Arena, Telaulim, Ponda. The one-day tournament, organised by the SDH staff under the leadership of Dr. Jayashree Madaikar (Medical Superintendent, District Hospital, Ponda), featured seven teams competing in a round-robin league format.
In a closely contested final, SDH Avengers took an early lead in the 6th minute through Sidheswar. SDH Masters nearly equalised in the 10th minute, but goalkeeper Dippu pulled off a fine save to deny them.
The second half saw SDH Masters bounce back, with Dr. Isaas and Suhash combining brilliantly to level the score. With the match ending in a 1-1 draw, the winner was decided via a tie-breaker. For the Avengers, only Sahkant converted, while M. Abdul and Sarhash found the net for SDH Masters, sealing the championship.
Earlier, a women’s exhibition match was played between Matron Flavia’s team and Ward Sister Surekha Dessai’s team. The match ended 1-1 in regular time, but Flavia’s team edged ahead 2-1 in the shootout to claim the win.
Savio Madeira, AIFF Technical Instructor, was the Chief Guest for the finals, while Shri Anjulo P. Fernandes, former National Football Referee, was the Guest of Honour. Both dignitaries awarded trophies and individual prizes to the winners and runners-up in the presence of Dr. Jayashree Madaikar.
