the goan I network
PANAJI
Salgaocar FC, coached by Umer Mutawalli, emerged winners in a closely-contested final against Super Creation, coached by Vinson Quadros, to bag the the Little Gaurs League (South Zone) title with a solitary goal win.
With two attacking sides making it to the title-clash, the showcase match promised to be a high-octane affair. With some of the brightest young talent packing the line-ups, fans were in for a treat.Little Gaurs League, which is the biggest league in Goa for the U-10 category, had started in November 2018, and had 9 teams participating. Matches were conducted in a league-cum-knockout tournament format with each team playing each other every Saturday and the top-four teams qualifying for the final play-offs.
Parents, and fans thronged the venue and there were loud cheers as the match kicked off. Both teams attempted to wrest control of the game and the match was played at a high tempo with some fantastic technical ability shown by players from both the teams.
Salgaocar FC came into the final with the strong defensive record of having conceded just 3 goals and they continued that form with a strong display at the back. Super Creation showed some good passing sequences in midfield but could not breach the Salgaocar defence. The half-time score of 0-0 indicated that both teams had worked hard on their defence before the finals.
The second half was more of the same until Salgaocar got a break and managed to get the ball at the back of the net via Snyder D’Costa. The goal opened the game up and Super Creation threw bodies forward in search of the equaliser. Salgaocar FC switched tactics and packed their midfield, making sure there was no space in their half and launched long balls forward for their attackers to chase. Super Creation had more ball possession and drove forward but Salgaocar held firm and managed to hold on to their lead until the final whistle.
Sakib Sheikh of Super Creation won the ‘Best Player of the League’ prize for his all-round action packed displays all through the league phase. Ethan Da Silva from Warriors and Jodric Abranches of Salgaocar FC, bagged the ‘Most Promising player’ awards for their impact and talent displayed during the league. Genevieve Colaco, the development manager of AIFF, gave away the prizes to the winners.
