MARGAO
In a thrilling encounter at the Raia Panchayat ground on Saturday, Raia Sporting Club emerged victorious over Sporting Club of Davorlim, clinching a 5-3 win via a tiebreaker to secure a spot in the semifinals of the 51st Custodio Memorial football tournament.
The match saw intense action right from the start. Dalton Colaco of Davorlim attempted a long-range shot early on, only to be spectacularly denied by Raia goalkeeper Jake Madeira in the 5th minute. Raia's Floyd Pereira had a powerful attempt fly over Davorlim's crossbar just a minute later.
Despite several close chances, including a near miss by Raj Mir of Davorlim, it was Raia who broke the deadlock in the 36th minute. Floyd Pereira made a clever run from midfield into Davorlim's box and unselfishly passed the ball to Sidney Gauncar, who slotted home the opening goal of the match. Davorlim fought back strongly in the second half, with Ajay Raj scoring the equaliser in the 60th minute, setting the stage for a tense finish.
With the score level after regulation time, the match went into a tiebreaker. Raia Sporting Club held their nerve as Lloyd Cardozo, Klins Mendes, Leran Dias, and Liston Cardozo all successfully converted their penalties. For Sporting Club of Davorlim, Salwyn Miranda and Aeren Figureido found the back of the net, but it wasn't enough to overcome Raia's strong performance from the spot.
Velito Cruz of Raia Sporting Club was awarded the Man of the Match award by Adv Coleman Rodrigues, Assistant Public Prosecutor from Vasco.
