MARGAO
United Club of Verna marched into the quarterfinals of the 44th Gold Silver Football Tournament with an impressive 4-2 victory over St Anthony SC, Marna-Siolim, at the Rosary Church Ground, Navelim, on Thursday.
From the opening whistle, Verna signaled their attacking intent. In just the 2nd minute, Roydon Rego came close to putting them in front but was unable to convert. St Anthony SC responded quickly, with Brandon Pereira testing the Verna backline in the 4th minute with a powerful strike.
The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Roydon Rego broke the deadlock for Verna, scoring after a deflection off a Marna-Siolim defender. Rego doubled the lead just three minutes later with a clinical finish, giving Verna a 2-0 advantage.
Maintaining their attacking rhythm, Verna extended their lead in the 36th minute as Meldon Moniz made it 3-0. St Anthony SC had a chance to respond, but Brandon Pereira failed to convert a crucial opportunity.
St Anthony SC managed to pull one back through Kanaya Gouthkar, reducing the deficit to 1-3. However, Verna quickly restored their three-goal cushion when Royson Moniz found the back of the net to make it 4-1.
Kanaya Gouthkar struck again for Marna-Siolim, scoring his second goal of the match to make it 2-4, but Verna’s defense held strong in the final stages to secure the win.
Roydon Rego was deservedly named Man of the Match for his influential performance and brace. He received the award from Santosh Naik, secretary of Navelim Sporting Club.
