PANAJI
Pax of Nagoa eased past Goa Police SC 3-1 in the Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Friday.
Goa Police made the brighter start, dominating midfield exchanges and pushing forward in waves. Their early pressure was rewarded in the 12th minute when Mayuresh Naik intercepted a loose pass and threaded a clever through ball to Kunal Salgaonkar, who showed composure by gliding past the goalkeeper and finishing into the bottom-left corner.
Nagoa, however, struck back before halftime. Shubert Fernandes dispossessed Gauresh Desai on the left flank, drove inside, and whipped in a low cross to the near post, where Tluangtea reacted sharply to smash his effort into the top-right corner and level the contest.
The second half began with Goa Police looking to regain control. Mayuresh Naik whipped in a dangerous cross for Shubham Shirwaikar, but his heavy first touch allowed the Nagoa defense to recover and clear.
The turning point arrived in the 80th minute when coach Mateus Costa introduced substitute Beneston Barretto, whose presence changed the game. Just moments later, Stephen Satarkar split open the Police defense with a perfectly timed through ball, and Barretto hammered home after an excellent first touch inside the box to put Nagoa ahead.
Barretto wasn’t done yet. In stoppage time, Stephen once again unlocked the backline with another incisive pass. Barretto showed ice-cool composure, rounding the goalkeeper before calmly slotting in his second of the night to seal a 3-1 win for Nagoa.
