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PANAJI
Sesa FA overcame Churchill Brothers 20-19 in a marathon tiebreaker in the last game of the league phase of the Goa Sevens Premier League, organised by Goa Sevens and Ambelim Sports Club in association with Goa Football Association (GFA) at Ambelim Sports Complex, on Saturday.
Nicholas Fernandes scored a brace for the Red Machines, while Caitaina Fernandes and Mark Barretto scored for Sesa.
Both the sides came into the game off wins against St Savio SC. The sides having already qualified for the knockout stages began the game to finish the group stages on top. Sesa took the lead through Mark Barreto, who shot off a rebound shot by Cyrus Noronha that gave the academy side a lead in
the 10th minute.
Post this, the teams kept swapping possession and aimed for goals.Churchill kept attacking as they searched for the leveller. Bonny Niasso was instrumental in the Churchill midfield but his curling shot missed the target. But their hard work finally paid off with Nicholas Fernandes shooting into the left corner of the post to level the scores as both the sides headed into the
break at 1-1.
Moving into the second half, the game witnessed an end to end encounter as Sesa were attacked by the Red Machines. First, Alber Gonsalves missed in a close tap-in, while later Jovel Martins’s shot was tapped away by the
Sesa keeper.
But at the other end, the Sesa side managed to shoot into the lead as Caitaina Fernandes’s left footer landed into the nets off a defender’s deflection.
Skipper, Richard Costa had some impressive runs in from the midfield but Babu Naik was strong at the back for Sesa. Churchill were still striking hard to make things level and Nicholas Fernandes completed his brace with a fine placement into the nets, making it 2-2 and force the tiebreaker.
In the tiebreaker, Sesa FA managed to win through a marathon of penalties over the Churchill side.
PLAYING TODAY
GSPL Women’s Festival: Chinchinim Angels vs Ambelim Queens, 7 pm
GSPL 2 (quarter-final 1): Sporting Clube de Goa vs Panjim Footballers, 8 pm, Ambelim Sports Complex
