MARGAO
Goa blanked Assam 3-0 to secure a place in the finals of Junior Girls National Football Championship, at Royal FC Stadium , Rajasthan on Friday.
Goa led 1-0 at half time The highlight of the day was brilliant hat-trick by ace striker Pearl Fernandes. Fatima Braganza who suffered an ankle injury in the previous match played the match.
The game showcased Goa ’s dominance on the field as they outplayed their opponents with their sharp passing, great attacking prowess and solid defending.
The game started with Goa dictating the pace of the game and it didn’t take long for them to get on the scoreboard. In the 17th minute, Pearl Fernandes scored a brilliant goal, thanks to a superb move with a pass from Fatima Braganza that saw her finish in style.
The goal gave Goa the confidence boost as they continued to attack the Assam defense. In the 33rd minute, Goa suffered a jolt when Prissy Pereira was given marching orders by the referee after she received a second yellow.
Crossing over, Assam mounted a comeback but the Goa defence was too strong to break Goa goalkeeper Riya Rajesh who brought up superb saves to deny rival forwards. Assam went all out with counter attack and Goa exploited the gap and in the 70th minute. Pearl Fernandes who was in thick action struck the ball with great power and accuracy, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance off Fatima Braganza's deflection .
Goa continued to press forward, and they got their third goal in the injury time through Pearl Fernandes
"It was vital for us to win today,” Goa coach Jonathan Faleiro said after the game expressing his satisfaction with the teams' consistency and lauded the efforts of the girls throughout the championship and quickly laid to rest with Goa running riot defeating Assam .
"Today we played our game and everyone is doing really well. Honestly, I am so happy about our team performance today," Jonathan Faleiro added.
