PANAJI
Cortalim Villagers secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Pax of Nagoa in a five-goal thriller to progress to the main draw of the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy, held at Duler Stadium.
Denil Rebello stole the show with a crucial brace, including the winning goal.
Cortalim got off to a flying start, capitalizing on a set-piece opportunity. Vikram converted the corner kick, putting his side ahead within minutes. Their lead was doubled shortly after when Saeesh Halarnkar intercepted a Nagoa cross, launching a swift counter-attack that found Denil Rebello. He finished the move with a composed placement past the goalkeeper.
Nagoa, however, refused to go down without a fight. They pulled one back through Wendell Coelho's curling effort from outside the box on the half-hour mark.
Just before halftime, Nickson Castanha stepped up to convert a well-taken freekick, restoring parity for Nagoa.
The second half witnessed another change in momentum. Denil Rebello struck again for Cortalim Villagers in the 55th minute, regaining the lead for his side. The game took a further turn when Nagoa's Sarineo Fernandes received a red card for a second bookable offense in the 80th minute.
