MARGAO
FC Goa beat Churchill Brothers FC 4-3 in the Goa Professional League at Trinity Ground, Benaulim on Sunday.
FC Goa made an attacking start, scoring just one minute in when Abawiha tapped in a cross from Bryson Pereira on the left flank. Jovial Dias doubled their lead five minutes later, smashing the ball home from close range.
Moments later, Jovial secured his brace, finishing from inside the box after a well-placed cross from Sitroy Carvalho on the right. FC Goa continued to apply pressure, with Sitroy Carvalho cutting back a pass to Bryson Pereira, who was waiting at the edge of the box to slot it into the bottom right corner.
Churchill Brothers managed to reduce the deficit when Ashwek Jadhav unleashed a stunning strike from outside the box into the top left corner. At halftime, FC Goa led 4-1.
The second half began with the Churchill Brothers displaying renewed determination. Bijeshwar Singh launched a long ball from his own half to Lunminlen Haokip, who split the FC Goa defence. Haokip then skillfully dribbled into the box and slotted it home, narrowing the score to 4-2.
Shortly after, Churchill Brothers struck again when Richard Fernandes delivered a low cross from the left flank, finding Trijoy Dias, who finished emphatically into the bottom left corner. Energized by the goals, Churchill Brothers pressed hard for the equaliser, but FC Goa's defence held strong, securing a 4-3 victory.
Goa Police blank CD Salgaocar
Goa Police cruised to a 2-0 victory over Clube De Salgaocar in the Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Sunday.
The breakthrough came when Salgaocar’s Janio mishandled a clearance, allowing Ronaldo to capitalize and find the net, marking his seventh goal of the season.
Things took a turn for Goa Police when their goalkeeper received a straight red card for a tackle outside the box”a decision that could have gone either way. Ronaldo nearly doubled the lead in the second half, receiving a pass inside the box, but his shot was expertly saved by the Salgaocar keeper.
Despite being down to ten men, Goa Police maintained their intensity with a strong pressing game that frustrated Salgaocar. They eventually extended their lead when Saiesh Haldankar’s shot was poorly handled by the goalkeeper, allowing Samuel D'Souza to pounce and tap in the second goal.
Samuel nearly added another late in the match, but this time the Salgaocar keeper made a clean save. At full time, the score was 2-0 in favour of Goa Police.
