PANAJI
CD Salgaocar clinched a hard-fought 1-0 win over Churchill Brothers in the Goa Professional League, thanks to Mevzen Oliveira's early goal, in a match marked by an intense final phase and a late red card for Salgaocar's captain, Pratesh Shirodkar.
Keen to return to winning ways after their previous draw, CD Salgaocar made tactical adjustments to their lineup. Coach Keenan reinforced the defence with Tipanna while pushing captain Pratesh Shirodkar into a more advanced role. Meanwhile, Churchill Brothers shuffled their squad, with goalkeeper Nitish Mehra and defenders Mackenzie and Jolly Singh stepping in, the latter replacing Trijoy Dias, who was suspended from their last match. Jobern Cardozo assumed the captain’s role for Churchill Brothers.
The match started with immediate action, as CD Salgaocar almost took advantage of a mix-up between Churchill’s Mehra and his defence within the first 40 seconds. However, Salgaocar did not have to wait long to break the deadlock. In the 2nd minute, Mevzen Oliveira pounced on a well-placed cross from Denil Rebello, outpaced the charging Mehra, and calmly chipped the ball into the empty net to give Salgaocar an early lead.
Salgaocar nearly doubled their advantage in the 9th minute when striker Boinao Singh forced a quick clearance from Mehra. Churchill Brothers' best chance to equalize came in the 32nd minute when a defensive error left Lunminlen Haokip with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, his shot narrowly missed, leaving the score unchanged.
As the game wore on, CD Salgaocar’s Boinao Singh and Churchill’s Atharv Dandekar were heavily involved. Singh's powerful effort was blocked by Mehra, while Dandekar cleared a dangerous cross from Royal Oliveira. Churchill pushed hard for an equalizer in the second half, with Kipgen setting up Jobern for a shot that was brilliantly saved by Salgaocar's keeper. On the other end, Singh passed up a golden opportunity to double the lead in a one-on-one situation, only for Dandekar to once again save Churchill with a crucial interception.
The late stages of the match grew tense, with Dandekar clearing another effort off the line, and Salgaocar's Royal Oliveira missing a chance to seal the game after surging forward on a counterattack.
The drama reached its peak when Pratesh Shirodkar was shown a straight red card for dissent towards the referee, leaving Salgaocar to finish the game with 10 men. Despite relentless pressure from Churchill Brothers in the dying moments, CD Salgaocar's defence held firm, securing a vital 1-0 victory.
SCOREBOX: CD Salgaocar 1 (Mevzen Oliveira 2') bt Churchill Brothers 0
