PANAJI
Sporting Clube de Goa retained their GFA U-20 Taca Goa title with a game to spare after they beat Vasco SC 2-0 on Sunday. Daryl Costa (11’) and Joel Colaco (53’) added a goal each in the either half to ensure Sporting Clube earned three points to take their tally to 19 points from seven outings.
Sporting Clube started off in style with Akeraj and Daryl causing some serious concerns for the Vasco defenders early in the match. In the 11th minute, Prisco Moura’s visionary through ball was perfectly executed by Daryl Costa who beat the offside trap to place it well beyond the exposed Vasco SC keeper.
After taking the lead, Sporting exploited the large gaps in Vasco midfield as they kept most of the possession to themselves. Daryl should have doubled the lead at half hour mark when he latched on to a good cross from Brandon Gomes from right but his header went straight to the keeper. Vasco had their best chance in the final five minutes of the first half when a promising move in the middle found Kingslee Fernandes, who made a brilliant run on the left but failed to get his target right.Crossing over, Sporting played a high pressing game trying to find the second goal. It took them just eight minutes to hit the target when Joel Colaco got hold of a half volley to put a thunderbolt into the Vasco net, diminishing chances of any possible resurgence from the port town side.
Sporting came close twice again in the second half through Akeraj, who saw his first strike miss the net by inches. In the 73rd minute, Akeraj did everything right including rounding off the keeper but Lenny Fernandes of Vasco made an extraordinary goalline clearance to keep the scoreboard static.
Sporting coach Savio Vaz was ecstatic after the result and called it an "all-round performance". “It was an all-round performance from the boys. They have been consistent throughout the league and that was the most important thing for us. They deserved every bit of this,” Vaz said.
Sporting Clube President Peter Vaz also congratulated his team on their latest achievement. "Congratulations to the boys, coaches and management for the first silverware of this season. This is the second consecutive year that our club has won this title. It shows that our youth development is heading in the right direction," Vaz said. "I only fear for their future as with every passing day the opportunities to play at a national level are shrinking," Vaz added.
