MARGAO
In a thrilling and rain-affected semifinal of the 44th Gold Silver Rolling Trophy, Sao Jose de Areal pulled off a sensational comeback to defeat United Club Verna 6-3 via tiebreaker and book their place in the final. The match was played at the Rosary Church Ground, Navelim, on Friday.
UC Verna looked in full control during the first half, taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Roydon Rego in the 22nd minute and Meldon Moniz in the 27th. Areal’s Dyral Costa came close to pulling one back before the break, but his shot deflected off a defender and went out for a corner. The teams went into the lemon break with UC Verna firmly in command.
The second half saw Verna increase their lead further when Johan Abranches beautifully tapped in a goal in the 39th minute, placing the ball into the far corner past Areal goalkeeper Aggie Antao.
However, the game turned on its head in the final quarter. Dyral Costa began the Areal resurgence with a goal in the 44th minute, before Azilton Viegas netted a quickfire brace in the 50th and 51st minutes to bring the scores level at 3-3 and force a penalty shootout.
In the ensuing tiebreaker, goalkeeper Aggie Antao emerged as the hero, pulling off three crucial saves to take Sao Jose de Areal into the final.
Man of the Match was awarded to Aggie Antao for his outstanding performance. The award was presented by Shubert Furtado, Treasurer of the Goa Football Association (GFA).
