Young Gaurs edge Port Towners 2-1 to rise to third in league standings
the goan I network
PANAJI
A 10-man Goan Football Club huffed and puffed as they managed to scrape past Vasco Sports Club by a 2-1 margin in the Goa Professional League match, organised by Goa Football Association, at Duler Stadium, here on Tuesday.
All the goals came in the first session of play with Minesh Kunkolkar giving an early lead for Vasco, while Goan Football Club’s Krishna Pandit and Yasir Mohammad scored to give full points to their team. With the win, Goan FC go up to the 3rd place with 28 points from 16 matches, while Vasco continue to struggle in the bottom half with just 17 points from 17 matches.
The Port Towners having lost in the last match by 3-1 margin, saw their coach Eban Mesquita make three changes to his side as Sushant Borkar, keeper Amit Biswas and skipper Schubert Pereira were back in the lineup, while for Goan FC colts Krishna Pandit, Isaac Negredo and Aaron D’Silva were the three changes made by the coach Clifford Miranda.
It was the Young Gaurs who had better of the exchanges in the first ten minutes of the match, but Vasco took the lead in the 12th minutes when their defender Minesh Kunkolkar beautifully curled his shot past the fully stretched Goan keeper Mohammad Nawaz, 1-0. In the 19th minute, Young Gaurs were unlucky not to level terms, when Krishna sent a cross to Serineo Fernandes in the box where the latter saw his left-footer rebounded off the goalpost.
At the other end Franky Oliveiro almost doubled the lead for Vasco when he tried his luck from the left flank but his goal bound shot was swayed over the crossbar by Goan keeper Nawaz. While Vasco failed to extend their lead, Young Gaurs leveled terms in the 24th minute when Krishna Pandit after receiving a through pass from Yasir Mohammad covered some ground clinically finished the ball in the back of the nylons, 1-1.
Pepped up by the goal and Young Gaurs doubled their lead where mercurial skipper Yasir made a brilliant run from the halfway line and after dancing past almost six Vasco players scored from top of the box to make it 2-1 for his side. Young Gaurs received a jolt in the 35th minute with the sending off defender Brian Faria by referee Pandurang Korgaokar for his harsh tackle on Flan Gomes near the danger area and the second booking caution.
On crossing ends, the Port Towners did take good advantage of Young Gaurs one man short and came with repeated raids on the rival citadel completely but Goan’s last line of defense did a brilliant job, along with their keeper Nawaz to keep the slate clean. In the 51st minute, Vasco’s Schubert dribbled past two defenders and shot on the goal from the top of the box but it went just over the crossbar.
Another chance went a begging for Vasco colts when Franky was set up in the box by Schubert with a through pass but the striker failed to connect. At the other end, Goans also had an opportunity to further increase their lead but Vasco custodian Amit came with brilliant save to deny substitute Lalawnpuia’s goal bound header off Yasir’s cross. Vasco’s final chance to level terms came in the 90th minute when Flan dangerously entered the box but his weak shot at the far goal was pushed for a corner by Goan keeper Nawaz.
PLAYING TODAY
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