the goan I network
DULER
Churchill Brothers Sports Club registered an impressive 10-0 win over Football Club de Bardez in the GFA Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, here on Tuesday.
Most of the damage to the Bardez team was done by Uttam Rai (3 goals), Bektur Uulu (2), Nicholas Fernandes (2), while Willis Plaza, Sevlon Cardozo and Pankaj Sona scored one each in the Red Machines’ big win. After the win, the Red Machines move up from the bottom of the table with 13 points from 11 matches, whereas Bardez continued to struggle in the bottom half with just 18 points from 21 outings.
Churchill coach Alfred Fernandes had number of I-League players at his service and he gave starts to three I-League players -- goalkeeper James Kithan, Uttam Rai and Israil Gurung -- after their 4-1 win over Corps of Signals in the last round match. At the other end, Bardez -- who had lost by a 5-0 margin to Calangute Association in the last match -- saw coach Climax Lawrence make three changes by fielding Chatur Naik, Viraj Naik and Gaurav Vaigankar at the start for the Pink Brigade.
In the very 3rd minute, Churchill’s Trinidadian striker Willis Plaza would have scored after receiving a perfect cross from Nicholas Fernandes from the left flank but Bardez custodian David Chauhan parried his shot for a corner. However in the 11th minute, Nicholas once again sent a neat cross to Kyrgyzstani midfielder Bektur Uulu, who coolly tapped the ball home, 1-0.
Trinidadian striker Plaza doubled the lead for the Red Machines in the 19th minute when he superbly curled the ball past Bardez keeper David from top of the penalty box, 2-0. In the 27th minute, Uttam made it 3-0 for the Red Machines when he brilliantly headed in from close off Nicholas’ well taken corner.
It did not take long for Churchill Brothers to pump in their fourth goal as U-20 midfielder Sevlon Cardozo, receiving a through pass from Willis Plaza in the box, scored with a neat placement, 4-0. Red Machines’ hunger for goals did not end as they came into the second half and hammered six more goals.
In the very first minute, Bardez keeper David came with a brave block to deny Pankaj Sona from scoring. However in the 60th minute, Uttam cut past two defenders and keeper David and placed the ball in the empty goal to make it 5-0 for his side. Just two minutes later, Bektur added another to their tally with a sparkling shot off Suraj Singhs’ headed pass, which breezed past keeper David’s gloves to complete Kyrgyzstani midfielder’s brace.
Finally, Nicholas -- who had two assists to his name -- added his name on the scorers’ list when he cut past a defender and curled the ball into the top corner to make it 7-0 for the Varca-based club. A few minutes later, Uttam completed his hat-trick when he cut past two defenders in the box and shot past Bardez keeper David from just inside the box to make it 8-0.
Nicholas also completed his brace in the 74th minute when his powerful strike from 10 yards out finished in the net, whereas substitute Pankaj Sona scored a gem of a goal from a difficult angle in the 89th minute to secure for Churchill the biggest win of the tournament this season.
