PANAJI
FC Goa scored a late equaliser through Vellington Fernandes as they held Salgaocar FC to a 1-1 draw in the GFA Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Thursday. Mark Carvalho put Salgaocar FC ahead in the game in the 70th minute.
FC Goa had the first chance of the game when Salgaocar FC keeper Jason D’Mello failed to deal with a long ball in the box. However, Vasim Inamdar and Salgeo Dias could not take advantage of the lapse. Salgaocar FC then had a series of corners in the first quarter but they couldn't find the target.
At the other end, FC Goa came close to scoring when Vellington sent in a long ball from the right flank to Vasim, who managed to connect the ball only to see his effort go wide. Vasim missed another chance when his effort off a Leewan Castanha cross hit the post. Leewan had an attempt on goal from a distance which was easily handled by the rival custodian.
In the second half, Salgaocar FC created chances and came close to scoring when Antush Moniz made a run on the right and sent in a cut-back pass to Mark Carvalho, but the latter's shot was saved by the rival custodian. Later, Antush attempted another long-range shot from outside the box, forcing a save from Hansel Coelho.
Salgaocar FC finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute through a corner. FC Goa failed to clear Sidharth Kundaikar’s flag kick, which fell to a Salgaocar player whose deflected shot was headed in by Mark Carvalho. In the dying minutes of the game, FC Goa found the equaliser through Vellington, ensuring they walked away with a point from the fixture.
At Nagoa ground, Dempo prevailed over Churchill Brothers in an action-packed match. Dempo took the lead early on with Beneston Barretto scoring a well-taken goal in the 8th minute. Churchill Brothers tried to respond quickly, but their efforts were thwarted by a well-organised Dempo defence. Dempo doubled their lead in the 28th minute as Pedro Gonsalves scored a superb goal, giving no chance to the Churchill goalkeeper.
The first half was dominated by Dempo, who controlled the midfield and kept the Churchill Brothers attack at bay. Churchill tried to mount a comeback but their efforts were in vain as the Dempo defence held firm. The first half ended with Dempo leading 2-0.
In the second half, Churchill dominated possession and created several chances but their finishing let them down. The Dempo defence, led by the impressive Adil Khan, held firm and kept Churchill Brothers at bay. In the 69th minute, Trijoy Dias scored a well-taken goal for Churchill Brothers, giving them a glimmer of hope. In the dying minutes, Churchill Brothers came close to scoring on several occasions but the Dempo defence held firm for a hard-fought 2-1 win.
