MAPUSA: Arunachal Pradesh played their hearts out to hold Goa in a 3-3 draw in the 77th Santosh Trophy National Football Championship held at Arunachal Pradesh here on Wednesday.
The teams went into the breather locked in a 1-1 draw.
Goa took the lead through a superb header from Necio Fernandes off a right flank cross by Mohammed Faheez, 1-0.
However Rahul K K netted the equaliser before the breather off a corner to make it 1-1.
On crossing ends the teams played intense soccer.
Goa’s coach Charles Dias brought striker Clencio Pinto from the bench whose strike from close off a cross by Faheez was brilliantly blocked by Arunachal Pradesh keeper Nahib.
At the other end in the 60th minute, Goa’s goalkeeper Antonio Da Silva brought down rival striker Vivek Guru just inside the penalty box prompting the referee to point at the dreaded spot. Tame Agung stepped forward to score 2-1.
After Goa exerted tremendous pressure the strikers not only equalised in the 70th minute from an intelligent chip by Mahamnad Faheez but saw substitute Joshua DSilva stab the ball into the nets after Faheez had done the spadework, 3-2.
When it looked that Goa were on the way to pocket full three points, Arunachal Pradesh scored the equaliser in the 96th minute.
Once again Rahul’s header off a long cross by Vivek Guru crashed to into the far corner of the goal to send his teammates and large home supporters into raptures, 3-3.
