Pro League action between Pax of Nagoa and Panjim Footballers at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Sunday.
SCOREBOX: Panjim Footballer 0 lost to Pax of Nagoa 4 (Shubert Pereira 5′, 36′, 63′, Sherwin Abranches 56′)
PANAJI
Pax of Nagoa cruised to a dominant 4-0 victory over Panjim Footballers in the Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Sunday.
The match began with Nagoa seizing an early advantage just four minutes in. Nickson Castanha swung in a perfectly delivered free-kick from the right, which Shubert Pereira met with a powerful header to open the scoring. Nagoa soon doubled their lead, with Jesloy Moniz threading a neat pass into the box for Pereira, who calmly slotted home for his second of the game.
The third goal came through Sherwin Abranches, whose strike from outside the area took a deflection off Moniz, leaving Panjim's goalkeeper wrong-footed as the ball found the back of the net. Pereira sealed his hat-trick late in the game, latching onto a well-weighted through ball from Adarsh before deftly chipping the keeper to complete a comprehensive 4-0 win for Nagoa.
Panjim Footballers, coming off a defeat to Geno FC, made six changes to their lineup, with Vipin Sharma replacing the goalkeeper and Maresto Fernandes and Sainath Kankonkar stepping in at full-back positions. In midfield, Velon Rebello and Richie Vaz were deployed on the flanks, while Shaviz Khan led the attack. Despite these adjustments, Panjim struggled to find their footing and missed crucial chances to pull a goal back, with Shubham Vernekar's header and Ajay Raj’s close-range effort both failing to hit the target.
For Nagoa, coach Mateus Costa made four changes following their loss to Dempo SC, including Mahamad Ali in goal and shifting Delton Colaco and Stephen Satarkar to the flanks, while Pereira led the line. Nagoa's intent was clear from the start, and they capitalized on their opportunities, with Pereira’s clinical finishing and Moniz’s creative play proving too much for Panjim.
Despite Panjim's improved midfield play in the second half, they couldn't convert their chances, and Nagoa's organized defence kept them at bay, ultimately securing a comfortable win.
