MARGAO
Goa dropped two points as they were held to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Assam in the concluding group stage match of the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, at the Golden Jubilee Stadium , Yupia in Arunachal Pradesh, on Friday.
Striker Lloyd Cardozo broke the deadlock in the very third minute when he pounced on his colleague's through pass. After taking the lead, Goa dominated the ball possession throughout the game while Assam relied on the long balls to initiate their attacks
Goa were on the rampage right from the start, with their midfielders and attackers moving almost unchallenged in the opposition area. Midfielder Delton Colaco decided to increase their tally and found the mark with a snap shot of Lloyd Cardozo's pass in the 12th minute to give his team a 2-0 cushion. Goa exhibited organisation and the match did not disappoint either, as a last-minute header clinched a point as Assam pulled one back when Sudeepta Konwar cancelled the lead in the 45th minute plus three additional.
The second half picked up from where the first ended as the midfield battle intensified. Assam tried tried to make things happen but were unable to increase their tally. The Goa inability to put the game to bed came back to haunt them as Assam inflated their tally in the 56th minute through captain Milan Basumatary.
However, the passionate crowd would not go home disappointed as Joshua D'Silva stole a point for Goa with a perfectly placed ball slotted past the rival goalkeeper in the 89th minute.
Goa who needed to win to top Group A, finished second in the group on eight points.
“Although we have finished second in the group, the scenario could have changed. I am satisfied with the team’s performance. We played with a high fighting spirit but wasted many opportunities to score,” said Goa coach Charles.
"Unfortunately, we have made things difficult for ourselves. We created many opportunities and could have won the match by availing these opportunities,” he concluded.
