the goan I network
MARGAO
Corps of Signals edged past Panjim Footballers 1-0 in a GFA Professional League encounter at 3MTR Ground, Navelim on Monday.
Pawan Thakur scored the only goal of the match in the second half. With this win, Corps of Signals took their tally to 16 points from 16 matches while Panjim Footballers stay on 14 points from as many outings.
As expected, Corps of Signals -- who had lost to Goan FC 3-0 in their previous encounter -- started aggressively. However, the teams had equal number of scoring chances as Signals attacking midfielder Aaron Alvares wasted two easy chances. After that scare, Panjim Footballers found their feet and enjoyed more ball possession and had a couple of scoring chances. First, Delton Colaco misfired from close range and later, Chandan Das blasted wide from close range.
Corps of Signals came close to breaking the deadlock late in the first half when Nim Tshering Bhutia found attacking midfielder Aaron Alvares, but he shot wide from close range. Signals came out a completely different unit after the break and could have gone ahead soon after the restart when Nimshering Bhutia sent a long lob inside the rival penalty box, and substitute TH Roshan Singh leapt high but his header was collected well by Panjim Footballers goalkeeper Sherwin D’Costa.
Panjim Footballers hardly looked the side that could attack the rival goal as their midfield suffered from large doses of inactivity. For the Signals, Pawan Thakur and Suklab Bordolai worked hard in the centre of midfield. The Signals had a golden chance to surge ahead in the 47th minute but Aarron Alvares failed to beat the rival goalkeeper after Roshan Singh put him on a platter.
Their high pressing was finally rewarded when Joyson Gaunkar floated the ball in, and midfielder Pawan Thakur beat rival goalkeeper Sherwin Da Costa with a thumping header in the 51st minute. It was a big setback for the capital side and they needed a quick response. Panjim went into overdrive but met with great resistance from the opposition defence and goalkeeper Niyas Mon.
Corps of Signals, meanwhile, nearly doubled the lead in the 68th minute but Pawan Thakur’s grounder missed the mark narrowly. In the dying minutes of the game, the Signals gave Panjim another scare when central defender Kuldeep Kumar’s header off a flag kick taken by Suklbab Bordalai had to be blocked by goalkeeper Sherwin Da Costa with great difficulty.
Earlier, Corps of Signals and Panjim Footballers lined up to observe a minute’s silence as a tribute to the martyrs of Pulwama terror attack.
