MARGAO
United Club of Verna marched into the semifinals of the 4th Betalbhatim Villagers Cup 2025 with a thrilling 6-4 victory over St. Anthony Marna Siolim in a high-octane quarterfinal clash held at the Panchayat Ground, Betalbhatim, on Monday.
Verna came out firing, opening the scoring in just the 2nd minute through Sheldon Pereira, followed by a quick second from Clifton Rebello in the 3rd minute, giving them an early 2-0 lead. Despite Siolim dominating possession thereafter, Verna’s defense stood firm.
In the 20th minute, Verna were awarded a penalty which Jesloy Moniz confidently converted to make it 3-0. Jesloy struck again in the 21st minute, putting Verna firmly in control at 4-0 going into halftime.
The second half began with Verna continuing their attacking display. Clifton Rebello netted his second in the 50th minute to make it 5-0, and Royden Rego added a sixth just a minute later.
Siolim, refusing to go down without a fight, mounted a spirited comeback. Kashiram Pomborkar scored in the 60th minute, followed quickly by a goal from Kanaya Govenkar to cut the deficit to 2-6. Dalesh Pednekar then scored twice—once in the 63rd minute and again from the penalty spot in the 67th minute—to bring the score to 6-4.
Despite the late surge, Verna held on to seal the win and book their place in the semifinals.
Eusabio Fernandes of UC Verna was named Man of the Match, with the award presented by Prayan Damaskar.
