Team Herald
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MAPUSA: Calangute Association Sports Club started their campaign of the Goa Professional League with a well deserved 2-0 win over Velsao Sports and Cultural Club played at Duler stadium, here, on Friday.
A goal in each session by Kouame Junior Kossonou (26th min) and Sidharth Kundaikar (85th min) saw Calangute Association secure full three points.
Beachside lads who started with seven new signing jelled well and came with repeated raids to keep the Velsao defenders marshalled by Peter Carvalho on their toes.
Calangute should have taken an early fourth minute lead where a corner by Nickson Castanha saw striker U-20 Siddhant Shirodkar’s header travel just over the crossbar.
Two more chances went in vain for Calangute where a neat placement by Siddhant from just outside the 6-yard box was smartly blocked with a diving save by keeper Presley Mascarenhas, while minutes later a 25-yard stiff grounder from Rohan Kamble rebounded off the far Velsao goal post.
Finally in the 26th minute a pinpoint cross by left back Fulganco Cardozo saw Calangute’s new foreign signing from Ivory Costa striker Kouame Junior Kossonou leap high over the rival defenders and nod the ball into the back of the net to give his side the lead.
On crossing ends, Velsao’s Coach Jude Barreto brought Viraj Naik and Joseph Pereira from the bench to add some teeth in the attack, but it was Calangute side that almost doubled their lead in the 65th minute.
An intelligent through ball by Kouame Junior saw Velsao keeper Presley leave his charge and thwart Chaitan Dabholkar in a one-to-one situation.
The best chance for Velsao SCC came in the 73rd minute from a counter attack. Joseph Pereira sent a well measured pass to overlapping Savelon Cardozo who fumbled in finding the net.
At the other end, Rohan Pednekar missed an open sitter while defender Melvin Lobo who had moved upfront for a corner saw his header hit the upright and go out.
Once again Kouame Junior was in action as he beautifully squared the ball to Sidharth Kundaikar whose carpet drive had no answer from Velsao keeper to make it 2-0.
In the added time, substitute Daryl Costa after collecting the ball from his medio covered some ground and drove a scorching left footer which banged the cross bar and landed into the Velsao keeper’s gloves.
