Flaming Oranje leave it late as Riad’s 79th-minute strike seals 1-0 win
the goan I network
DULER
Sporting Clube de Goa huffed and puffed before a Fady Riad strike in the 79th minute enabled them to register a solitary goal win over Guardian Angel Sports Club in the Goa Professional League sixth round match organised by GFA played at Duler stadium, here on Friday.
Both the teams took the field on back of wins in their last round matches. Sporting had got the better of Calangute Association by a solitary goal, at the Poriat grounds, while Guardian Angel defeated FC Bardez by a 2-0 margin at Navelim grounds.
Sporting in-charge Mateus Costa made six changes to his Starting XI, while Guardian Angel coach Riston Rodrigues brought in two changes. The first session was equally contested with the teams having a couple of attempts at the rival goal, which were confidently collected by the custodians with the teams going into the breather locked in a
goalless draw.
Flaming Oranje had the first crack at the goal in the 7th minute but a strike by Ganesh Thakur was confidently collected by Angel’s keeper Ozen Silva. Just three minutes later, Angel’s medio Allwyn Vaz sent a long cross to an unmarked Yakubu Mohammed on the left flank, who after covering some ground, latched on a blistering left-footer which was brilliantly parried for a corner by Sporting keeper Melroy
Fernandes.
In the 10th minute, a stiff grounder by Sporting’s U-20 player Stendly Fernandes was collected by Angel’s keeper Ozen at the first post. At the other end, Angel’s Perryson Rebello found Allwyn Vaz inside the penalty box but the latter’s weak shot was stopped by the Sporting keeper. The best chance for Sporting came in the 33rd minute, where Angel’s keeper Ozen managed to get his gloves to the ball with a diving save to keep out a left-footer from Egyptian Fady Riad.
On crossing over, in the very 2nd minute, Angel’s Perryson Rebello was cautioned outside the penalty box for a tackle on Stendly, whose ensuing free kick at the goal was poorly parrieed by keeper Ozen with the ball travelling to Glan Martins, who failed to direct his strike inside the goal. In the next 30 minutes of the match, the play was restricted to midfield with both the custodians being hardly tested.
A counter attack in the 79th minute, from a fine combination by the Sporting strikers Fady Riad and Marcus Mascarenhas, saw the latter send a through pass to Fady who darted inside the penalty box and beat the onrushing Angel’s keeper Ozen with an adroit placement, 1-0. Flaming Oranje held on to their one-goal lead till the end of the regulation and six minutes of stoppage time to return home with a win.
PLAYING TODAY
Salgaocar FC vs Goan FC, Duler stadium, 4 pm
