MARGAO: Arlem Youth Association stormed into the quarterfinals of the 27th All Goa Our Lady of Merces Inter-Village Football Tournament after edging Goa Velha Sports Club 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout following a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Chinchinim Church Grounds on Tuesday.
Goa Velha opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Mohit Santondekar found the target, but Arlem responded swiftly through Sanjiro Pango, who restored parity just three minutes later.
Arlem went into the break with a 2-1 lead after Sidney Gaonkar struck in the 25th minute to complete the turnaround.
The second half produced end-to-end action as Joseph Rodrigues equalised for Goa Velha in the 40th minute before Kunal Kundikar put his side ahead 3-2 eight minutes later. Arlem, however, refused to surrender, with Movin Gaonkar netting the equaliser in the 52nd minute to take the contest to a penalty shootout.
In the tie-breaker, Navin, Sanjiro Pango, Erickson and Sidney Gaonkar converted their spot-kicks for Arlem, while Sainath, Kunal Kundikar and Krishab scored for Goa Velha.
