MARGAO
Curtorim Gymkhana beat Raia Sporting Club 2-1 in a hard-fought quarterfinal to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 4th Betalbatim Villagers Cup, organized by Betalbatim Sporting Club and played at the Betalbatim Panchayat ground on Thursday.
Raia Sporting took the lead in the 12th minute through a penalty after Curtorim goalkeeper Prakash Jhosi brought down a Raia forward inside the box. Garrison Fernandes made no mistake from the spot to put Raia ahead. Curtorim had a golden chance to level the score before the break, but Ryan Fernandes' powerful effort rattled the crossbar and went out, allowing Raia to hold a 1-0 lead at halftime.
After the restart, Curtorim came out with renewed energy and finally found the equaliser in the 44th minute through Joywin Carneiro. Raia nearly regained the lead in the 52nd minute, but Garrison Fernandes fired his shot off target. Just minutes later, Curtorim capitalized on a defensive error when Raia’s goalkeeper misjudged the ball, allowing Ryan Fernandes to score the winner in the 57th minute.
Joywin Carneiro’s impactful performance earned him the Man of the Match award, presented by GFA executive member Andrew Ferrao.
