the goan I network
DULER
A 54th-minute strike from Cajetan Fernandes enabled a 10-man Sporting Clube de Goa register a 1-0 win over Guardian Angel Sports Club in their Goa Professional League match, organised by Goa Football Association, at Duler stadium, here on Thursday.
With the win, Sporting continue to stay perched on the top spot as they have 42 points from 16 matches, while Guardian Angel have 17 points from 14 matches. Sporting, who are still unbeaten in the league, had defeated Calangute Association 4-1 in their last match, whereas Angel had suffered a defeat at the hands of Salgaocar FC in the previous
round.
The league leaders had better of the exchanges in the first 10 minutes of the match and had two close attempts at the rival goal from both the flanks. In the very 2nd minute, U-20 winger Myron Fernandes found Marcus Mascarenhas inside the penalty box, but the striker saw his tap land in the waiting hands of Angel keeper Ram Sroop. A few minutes later, Cajetan Fernandes sent another cross to Nigerian Philip Odogwu, whose header was swayed over the post by the Guardian Angel
custodian.
The Flaming Oranje were reduced to 10 men in the 11th minute with the sending off keeper Melroy Fernandes by referee Sharad Naik for his reckless tackle on Angel’s Nigerian Yakubu Mohammed just outside the penalty box in a one-to-one situation. However, Nigerian Abel Hammond could not do any damage to the opponents from the resultant free-kick as his shot hit the defensive wall.
Sporting lowered their tempo in the match with the exit of their keeper, where play was restricted to the midfield for the rest of the session. In the added time of the first session Yakubu Mohammed tried his luck from the edge of the box but it was cleared by Sporting defender Brandon Gomes for a corner.
Hardly had the spectators taken their seat at the restart, Guardian Angel had a chance to surge ahead. Perryson Rebello moved upfront from the right flank and sent a low cross to an overlapping Abel Hammond but the striker was late to connect with an empty goal in front.
While Angel failed to score, it was Sporting who opened their account in the 54th minutes when Daryl Costa sent a cross to an unmarked Marcus Mascarenhas in the box whose header rebounded off the goal post and came to Cajetan Fernandes, who made no mistake to slam it home, 1-0.
A few minutes later, Cajetan almost netted his brace with a curling left-footer but keeper Ram Sroop leapt high in the sky to push the ball for a corner as the ball was on the way intoto the top corner of the goal.
At the other end, Sporting’s U-20 keeper who had taken Melroy’s place in the goal, brought a smart save as he tipped Perryson’s goal-bound free kick for a corner. Whereas, Marcus saw his scorching shot from 25 yards hit the horizontal bar.
In the closing stages of the match, Guardian Angel had two clear chances to wipe out the one-goal deficit. Yakubu was late to finish the ball in the empty goal from Perryson’s pin-point cross from the right flank. They had one more opportunity in the added-on time but Sporting keeper nicely parried away Sanwil D’Costa’s header to give victory to his team.
