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PANAJI
Dempo SC beat Panjim Footballers 4-2 via tiebreaker in the Goa Sevens Premier League, organised by Goa Sevens and Ambelim Sports Club in association with Goa Football Association (GFA) at Ambelim Sports Complex, on Friday.
Suraj Hadkonkar scored early on for Dempo, while Akeraj Martins made it level in the second half.
Panjim Footballers brought in one change to their starting seven that beat Vasco SC, with star player Akeraj Martins starting in the team. On the other hand, the Dempo side kept the same line-up that won 6-1 against Vasco SC.
The Golden eagles were the first side to strike at post with Suraj Hadkonkar’s shot being cleared at goalline by the Panjim back. In the initial minutes, both sides tried hard to find the opening goal but it was Dempo who came close to scoring yet again. This time, Vineet Bugde ran inside from midfield only to find his pass missed by Desmon Pereira.
The Panjim side were strong with Akeraj Martins and Clifton Fernandes but Dempo kept pressurising the capital side’s post and their attempts finally paid off as Suraj Hadkonkar shot off a free kick that landed straight into the nets, 1-0.
The capital side had a couple of chances to level the scores. In the midfield, Clifton Fernandes and Akeraj Martins moved deep but Nickson Castanha cleared the danger as the Dempo side went into the break with a slender 1-0 lead.
On resumption, the Panjim side kept trying hard to find the equaliser as the coach brought in new feet to boost the side’s strength as Darryl Costa and Stendly Costa kept the Dempo back strings working hard. And their hard work finally paid off as Akeraj Martins made it 1-1 after receiving a perfect curling cross from Darryl. Young Desmon Pereira of the Eagles proved to be a threat at the wings for the Panjim team. Substitute Jaison Vaz’s powerful shot from inside the box hit the top bar, denying Dempo a lead.
The Panjim side should have taken the lead as they missed two clear goal scoring opportunities. First Clive Miranda’s long ranger was misjudged by the Dempo custodian but substitute Snedden Rodrigues failed to tap it in, while later, Snedden failed to tap in off a throw-in amid a blank Dempo defence.
In the tiebreaker, Naveen Mendes, Beevan D’Mello and Nickson Castanha scored for the winners, while Clive Miranda scored for the Panjim side.
