MARGAO
Sinquerim Sports Club began their campaign in the 24th Vagator Soccer Tournament with a convincing 4-2 win over DBO Fatorda in the opening match, held at the Vagator Football Ground. The tournament is being organised by the Vagator Parish Youth Sports Club.
Sinquerim started on the front foot, with Saimesh Gaonkar testing Fatorda goalkeeper Glen Fernandes in the 5th minute. He found the breakthrough in the 13th minute, sprinting down the left flank before placing a low shot past the keeper to open the scoring.
Fatorda responded in the 19th minute through a penalty by Velito, after Aiyan Shaikh committed a foul in the box. The equaliser was short-lived as Sinquerim regained the lead in the 28th minute when Pratik Tirodkar latched onto a lofted pass from Zaid Khan and slotted it home to make it 2-1.
Fatorda came close again in the 32nd minute, but a strong save from Sinquerim keeper Aniketh Naik denied Francis Andrade’s long-range strike. The first half ended with Sinquerim in front.
The second half saw more pressure from Sinquerim, with Gaonkar narrowly missing in the 43rd minute. In the 48th, Tirodkar scored his second goal of the match with a composed finish to give his side a 3-1 advantage.
Fatorda pulled one back in the 68th minute through Richie Vaz, setting up a tense finish. They had a clear chance to equalise in the 71st minute, but Alfred Noronha failed to convert from close range.
Substitute Krish Naroji sealed the result in stoppage time with a tap-in, ending the match 4-2 in Sinquerim’s favour. Pratik Tirodkar was named Man of the Match for his decisive brace.
