the goan I network
PANAJI
Salgaocar FC came from behind to defeat Sporting Clube de Goa 4-2 via tiebreaker to clinch the title of Goa Sevens Premier League Season 2, organised by Goa Sevens and Ambelim Sports Club in association with Goa Football Association (GFA), at Ambelim Sports Complex, on Saturday.
Ganesh Thakur and George Souza scored for the Oranje side, while Gilbert Oliveira and Agnelo Colaco converted for the Salgaocar team.
The Sporting side were strong contenders in the league having been in top form in recent leagues and already having won the Goa Pro League and Goa Police Cup. They had an easy 3-1 win over a a struggling FC Bardez to enter the finals, while on the other hand, Salgaocar pulled off a tiebreaker win over Goan FC in the other semi-final.
The sporting team were quick to open their tally as they struck early on through Ganesh Thakur, who neatly placed his low shot into the net past Salgaocar keeper Jason D’Mello. The Salgaocar side gave a tough fight with Agnelo Coalco and Umesh Harijan trying their luck.
But Sporting doubled their lead as George Souza shot into the top corner of the post after a rebound shot off a corner as they led 2-0 in the finals. Salgaocar came close to netting in a goal but Samuel Costa shot inches high over the post. However, they managed to pull a goal down as Gilbert Oliveira headed the ball in with a neat header off Agnelo’s cross.
There was no stopping the green brigade as Agnelo Colaco shot into the nets from far as the Greens managed to make it level just before the half time.
The second half witnessed a greater tempo as both sides aimed to finish it within the stipulated time and both teams had their share of attempts. First Sporting’s Marcus Mascarenhas missed his close shot as keeper Jason swiftly caught it. At the other end, Gilbert Oliveira received a well-placed cross from Mackroy Peixoto but the former’s shot was saved b Sporting’s diving keeper Melroy Fernandes.
The Sporting team kept attempting as they came close to scoring almost near the final whistle as Marcus Mascarenhas tapped it in from close but he found his low strike cleared by Sunny Pereira on goalline. The final minutes saw a flurry of shots at both ends but neither of the teams could score a winner as it all went down to the tiebreaker. Gilbert Oliveira and Umesh Harijan scored from the spot for the Greens as they clinched the title of GSPL 2018 in an entertaining game.
