Our Lady of Gloria Sports Club, Raia booked their place in the semifinals of the 25th Benaulim Panchayat Cup after registering a hard-fought 2-1 win over Don Bosco Oratory, Fatorda in the first quarterfinal at the St John the Baptist Panchayat Ground, Dando-Benaulim. The tournament is organised by Dando Boys Club, Benaulim.
Raia made a positive start and went ahead in the 18th minute through Lloyd Cardozo, who finished calmly past the Fatorda goalkeeper. The Raia outfit continued to dominate proceedings with Joyson Gaukar and Keifern Dias creating several problems for the opposition defence with their attacking moves.
Their persistence paid dividends in first-half injury time when Keifern Dias found the back of the net to double the lead and hand Raia a comfortable 2-0 advantage at the interval.
Fatorda returned strongly after the break, with the introduction of Clencio Pinto adding fresh impetus to their attack. The change yielded immediate results as Frenson Furtado pulled one back in the 48th minute.
Encouraged by the goal, Fatorda pressed hard for an equaliser and mounted a series of attacks, but Raia's defence stood firm to withstand the pressure and secure a well-deserved victory.
Lloyd Cardozo was named Man of the Match for his impressive display. The award was presented by Glyda Rodrigues, Deputy Sarpanch of Village Panchayat Cana-Benaulim.
