MONDAY, MAY 20, 2024
Team Herald
RAIA: St Anthony SC, Marna-Siolim defeated United Club of Verna, 2-0 to move into the finals of 26th Holy Cross inter-village football tournament, held at Vodlemoll-Kakoda, on Wednesday.
Right from the start, both Siolim and Verna exhibited an aggressive style of play, favouring long shots in their pursuit of taking the lead. Marna launched impressive strikes from afar, challenging Verna's goalkeeper who skillfully deflected their attempts. Verna, however, came close to breaking the deadlock when Cyrus Noronha managed to net a goal, only for it to be disallowed due to an offside ruling, leaving the score tied at 0-0 at halftime.
Both the teams heightened their offensive tactics in the second half, continuously pressuring each other's defences, but failed.
Siolim finally broke the deadlock through a brilliantly placed shot from Dalesh Pednekar. Energised by their first goal, Siolim continued to push forward, resulting in Mayuresh Naik finding the net with a precise strike from the lower corner.
Despite Verna's valiant attempts to stage a late comeback, Siolim's defense remained steadfast, securing their passage to the final.
