Team Herald
MAPUSA: Sporting Clube de Goa scored two second half goals to register a 2-0 win over GFA’s Professional League played at Duler Stadium, Mapusa on Thursday.
After a barren first session Sporting Clube’s Nigerian Philip Odogwu (61st min) and Gautam Dias (90th min) goals gave Flaming Oranje full points.
It was a total change in the team and coaching staff of Velsao SCC colts that came with fine display to hold their opponents goalless in the first session of play.
The teams played on equal footing for the first 30 minutes with not a single good shot being fired at the goal by both the teams.
Sporting did come close in breaking the deadlock in the 31st minute but Nigerian Philip Odogwu saw his shot from close off a long ball by Sachidanand Satelkar from the left flank hit the upright and rebound into play.
Another chance went in vain for Flaming Oranje where Philip Odogwu found his skipper Marcus Mascarenhas just outside the penalty box but the latter’s stiff grounder was superbly blocked by keeper Presley Mascarenhas.
The best chance to take the lead was squandered by Philip, in added time, after he failed to place the ball off a low cross by U-20 Stendly into the goal.
Hardly had the spectators taken their seats inside the stadium and Velsao could have taken the lead in the 46th minute when the entire Sporting defence was beaten by a long floater by Bersal Viegas to Clinton Niasso, whose placement was confidently collected by keeper Akshat.
Nigerian Philip Odogwu made amends for his earlier two lapses and put his team ahead in the 61st minute when he darted inside the goal area to connect a pinpoint cross from Brandon Gomes,1-0.
If not for the heroics from Velsao keeper Presley, Sporting’s substitute Akeraj Martin’s would have netted the second goal with a low power-packed strike.
Velsao colts did try to go in search of the equalizer but it was the experienced Flaming Oranje that further increased their lead in the 90th minute.
George D’Souza found Marcus Mascarenhas at the far post, who controlled the ball and sent a square pass to Gautam Dias who headed the ball into the net, 2-0.
Sporting in charge Francisco Vaz said “Four players, who were doing the duty for the Santosh Trophy, were practicing with the team just lately and it took time for them to combine. Anyway the result was good being our first match of the league,” concluded the coach.
Velsao SCC coach Ajay Acharya said that it was his new assignment for him, so also majority of players were newly signed by the management. He credited the players for holding their opponents goalless till the 60th minute.
