DULER
U-20 player Devendra Murgaonkar scored two goals as Salgaocar Football Club registered a fluent 3-1 win over Calangute Association Sports Club in the Goa Professional League, organised by GFA, at Duler stadium, here on Saturday.
After the Saturday’s win, Salgaocar FC take the fifth spot in the standings with 17 points from 12 matches, while Calangute Association stay on fourth position with 18 points from 13 matches.
Salgaocar colts came into the match after their resounding 7-0 win over FC de Bardez and their coach Norbert Gonsalves made just one change in his starting line-up, bringing in Samuel Costa. Calangute Association, having drawn with Goan Football Club 2-2 in their last match, had coach Alex Alvares make three changes -- Jason D’Mello starting in goal, while Omkar Satelkar and Sanjay Vengurlekar were deployed upfront.
It was only in the 20th minute that Calangute keeper Jason D’Mello was tested when Salgaocar’s Mackroy Peixote drove a right-footer from outside the penalty box which was superbly saved by the custodian. Calangute’s Dominic Fernandes had a chance to pull a goal as he received a through pass from Joston Pereira but shot wide from inside the penalty box.
After much probing, finally in the 30th minute, Salgaocar scored their first when Mackroy Peixote, collecting a cut pass from Yinka Joel Sunday, beat the rival keeper with an adroit placement, 1-0. Salgaocar should have further consolidated their lead in the 35th minute when Joel Sunday got hold off a through pass from Devendra Murgaonkar and shot at the goal which was blocked by keeper Jason.
However in the very next minute, the Greens scored through Devendra as he tapped in from close off Gilbert Oliveira’s cross, while in the 39th minute he controlled the ball from Samson Pereira, dribbled past a host of rival defenders and scored his brace and the third goal for his team, 3-0.
On resumption of play, the match took an interesting turn only in the 69th minute when Yinka Joel Sunday set up substitute Clencio Pinto inside the 18-yard box, who cut past the onrushing Calangute keeper Jason and shot at the goal only to find defender Mayur Shelar block the shot at the first post for a corner.
Minutes later, Salgaocar’s Yinka Joel Sunday drilled a blistering strike from just on top of the penalty box which banged the Calangute’s upright. In the 88th minute, Calangute colts were reduced to 10 men with the sending off Joston Pereira for a double booking by referee Sharad Naik.
However Calangute players brought some smile on the faces of their supporters when, in the 92nd minute, their medio Dominic Fernandes scored from the penalty spot after Salgaocar keeper S Rajini Kumar had brought down Kouame M Joseph inside the penalty box, 3-1.
