MARGAO
Goa put up a commanding display in the quarter-finals of the 77th National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy when they came from behind to defeat Delhi 2-1 at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, Yupia, in Arunachal Pradesh, on Monday.
All the goals came in the first half. It appeared that Vikrant Sharma's men would run the show when they took the lead through a lightning counter attack in the eighth minute when Sahil Kumar nodded home off a flag kick taken by Thanamini Haokip which left the Goan defenders perplexed.
Unfazed, Goa were mostly creating trouble for the rival defenders from the right. The Delhi defence looked harassed and managed to survive for few minutes. However, they had no answer to the equaliser which was scored by midfielder Joebern Cardozo off a spectacular effort. Latching on to the ball off a corner kick taken by Faheez and Joebern Cardozo took an angular shot that entered the net beating theDelhi goalkeeper Rajkumar Mahato hands down.
The Goans were all over the pitch and could have won by a bigger margin had they not missed a few chances. Goa struck the match winner in the 29th minute when Mohammed Faheez floated the ball off a corner kick which fell to Lloyd Cardozo who was lurking in the box and beat the rival goalkeeper with a clinical finish.
Earlier, Goa had a chance but Mohammed Faheez's attempt inside the rival penalty box went abbegging.
Crossing over, Goa were more aggressive in their attack and attacked the rival goal with much gusto. Goa's captain Mohammed Ali and Joseph Clemente were rock solid at the back and the duo never allowed their opponents to maneuvered inside their penalty box.
As the match progressed, the pendulum seemed to swing in Goa's favour as they continued to run riot in opponent’s 18-yard box. In the final minutes, Delhi could have likely gone one up but Mohit Mittal hit the left post but Goa managed to see out the remaining minutes and qualify for the last four clash.
"We are very excited with this semi-final win, a huge compliment to Goa which highlights our strong team dynamics. However, our hunger for success drives us to go further. We are fit, optimistic and eagerly looking forward to advancing all the way to the final. The mood within the team is very positive,” said Goa head coach Charles Dias.
“The team needs to stay relaxed, focus on the upcoming challenge and eliminate distractions that are not important right now. I believe this group of players are experienced and our goal is to reach the final," he added.
He further added that he dedicates the win to the Goa Football Association and his team.
FINAL RESULT
Goa 2 (Jobern Cardozo 20’, Lloyd Cardozo 29’)
beat Delhi 1 (Sahil Kumar 8’)
