DULER: FC Bardez defeated Vasco SC after they scored a solitary goal win to enter the final of the Goa Police Cup, organized by Goa Police Sports Cell in association with Vasco Sports Club and GFA, sponsored by Axis Bank, at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Tuesday.
The only goal of the match was scored in the 82nd minute of play through the boots of Alesh Sawant.
The professional league new entrants did not disappoint the large number of supporters that gathered to support them and called most of the shots in the first session of play.
In the 3rd minute Myron Mendes saw his stinging effort miss the top corner of the Vasco SC nets while in the next minute Girish Naik on collecting the ball from skipper Peter Carvalho shot straight at the goal from close range, the strike was however saved by the keeper.
In the 7th minute, Rowilson Rodrigues came close to putting FC Bardez into the lead, however he failed to guide his header off Alesh Sawant’s corner into the Vasco nets.
Vasco finally managed to get their acts together and charged forward with Jaison Vaz at the helm of the attack however Rowilson Rodrigues and Mathew Gonsalves did a fine job in the FC Bardez defence to ward off the danger.
In the 25th minute, Jaison Vaz on getting hold of the ball covered some ground only to shoot into the hands of the FC Bardez custodian Mirshd K.
Moments later Jaison saw his low grounder being collected by the diving FC Bardez keeper.
At the other end Vasco SC keeper Shilton Fernandes did well to get his hands on Myron Mendes’ header. After a while Jessel saw his freekick curl just over the Vasco horizontal bar.
Crossing over, Vasco SC almost broke the deadlock in the 50th minute of play when Suchil M.S. powerful strike deflected off the defender only to see Bardez custodian Mirshad K come with a fine save to ward off the danger.
Bardez keeper Peter Carvalho found himself guilty of missing a chance to score from close range, when he failed to give finishing touches to Leston Afonso cross.
The much awaited goal was scored in the 82nd minute of play when Alesh Sawant was viciously tackled on the edge of the 18-yard box prompting referee Tejas Nagvekar to award FC Bardez a free kick.
Alesh took the responsibility of taking the kick and made no mistake in curling the ball to the far end of the Vasco goal, making it 1-0.
FC Bardez almost doubled their lead in the next minute itself but Myron Mendes’s shot ricocheted off the Vasco woodwork.
