DULER
Calangute Association Sports Club scored two first half goals to register a well deserved 2-0 win over Corps of Signals in a 13th round match of Goa Professional League played at Duler Stadium on Sunday.
After the win, Calangute Association have 14 points from 10 matches, while Signals stay on 11 points from 11 matches.
Signals, having lost their last league match against FC Bardez by 3-1, saw their coach Rateesh R make five changes in his starting line-up as Sunit Toppo, Omprakash Bhogta, Solomon Khongsai, Mukut Surin and U-20 Nitesh Parwar were given a start.
At the other end, Calangute Association, who had defeated Santa Cruz Club of Cavelossim in the previous round match, saw coach Alex Alvares bring in Sanjay Vengurlekar for Nigerian defender Kouame Joseph and Omkar Satelkar replaced Omkar More in the starting XI for the North Goan club.
It was Signals that came close to opening their account in the 9th minute, when Harshad Thube found Roshan Singh in the box but the skipper Roshan Singh failed to score from close. At the other end, Calangute drew their first blood in the 17th minute through U-20 Leslee Britto. Joston Pereira made a splendid run on the wing and found the U-20 striker with a cut-back pass, inside the penalty box, whose strike went through the Signals keeper Binu Purushthama’s legs to make it 1-0 for the beachside team.
Ten minutes later, once again Joston scored from an assist off Leslee who did the spadework, to make it 2-0. Signals’ best chance to pull a goal came in the 42nd minute of the match. U-20 player Joshley Gomes nicely curled the ball to Nitesh in the box but rival keeper Jason D’Mello came off his line to clear the danger.
On crossing ends, Signals squandered another glorious chance to score in the 66th minute when substitute Pawan Thakur’s corner was superbly headed at the goal by Kuldeep Kumar but keeper Jason D’Mello managed to get his hand to the ball to push it for a corner.
At the other end, a perfect cross by Calangute’s Josley Dias from the left flank saw a tap from close by Blake Haldankar travel just past the goal post. Another glorious chance went begging for Calangute in the 86th minute, when a stiff grounder from the right by Josley Dias was kept away with a full-stretched diving save by keeper Binu.
PLAYING TODAY
Vasco SC vs FC Bardez, Duler stadium, 4 pm
