Anthony, Besil star for Siolim Sodiem

Anthony, Besil star for Siolim Sodiem
gfa 3rd division
HERALD SPORTS REPORTER
MAPUSA, NOV 24
Anthony Fernandes netted a hat-trick as Siolim Sodiem Sports and Cultural Association thrashed Sangolda Lightning 7-1 in GFA’s Third Division play-off, at Duler Stadium, here, on Wednesday. Siolim led 2-1 at the break.
Siolim’s Besil Fernandes scored a brace in the last seven minutes to add to the goal demolition.
Siolim kept possession of the ball well in midfield and attacked menacingly from the wings which put their opponents under a lot of pressure.
Sangolda did not look as fit as their opponents and struggled to close them down quickly enough, on the wide Duler ground.
In the 17th minute, Siolim’s Mukund Shirodkar rose unopposed in the rival box to head home from a corner swung in by Raymond Alvares.
Within two minutes, Siolim doubled their lead when Anthony Fernandes darted in from the left side and netted past the Sangolda keeper.
On the half hour mark, Abdul Kadab Khan managed to pull a goal back for Sangolda when he curled in a spectacular free-kick which curled over the wall and surprised the rival keeper.
Early in the second half, Nikhil Naik missed a great opportunity to equalise for Sangolda when he failed to make proper contact with Raymond’s cross from the left wing, which had the keeper fail to gather.
A few minutes later, Besil had put the ball in the net for Siolim, but the referee had already signaled for a penalty as he had been fouled. Anthony stepped up and slotted in from the spot for his second and Siolim’s third.
With 10 minutes to go, Anthony surged down the left and noticing the Sangolda custodian well off his goal line, he shot the ball into his near post to secure his hat-trick.
In the 84th minute, Besil made the game safe after he tapped in a re-bounded shot which was initially saved by the Sangolda keeper.
By this point, it looked like Sangolda had given up. Siolim added two more in stoppage time with substitute Saish Goltekar scoring from a distance with a sublime chip, before Besil punted in Siolim’s seventh.