Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
MAPUSA: Churchill Brothers registered a comfortable 4-0 win over Calangute Association in the Goa Professional League match played at Duler Stadium, here, on Sunday.
With Sunday’s win, Churchill moved to the third place with 39 points from 17 matches while Calangute finish off the season with 16 points and are currently placed 10thin the league table.
All the four goals came in the second half of the match with Uttam Rai getting a brace while Nicholas Fernandes and Anthony Wolfe also their names on the score-sheet for the Red Machines.
Churchill almost punished Calangute in the fifth minute when a miscommunication between defenders Jayganesh Goltekar and Gaurav Vaigankar in clearing the ball saw Cyrus Noronha pounce onto the loose ball but before any damage could be done he was thwarted by the alert keeper Sanji Bugde.
Calangute keeper once again brought a smart stop two minutes later keeping out Nickson Castanha’s fierce shot.
Calangute created some decent attempts through Senegalese striker Abdoul Fall and Marvoti Horizan but their strikes either went inches wide of the post or were blocked by Churchill keeper Kunzang Bhutia.
Uttam Rai should have buried his header into the net to put Churchill Bros ahead from a perfect cross delivered by Nicholas Fernandes down the left flank.
In a swift counter attack, Calangute’s Rohan released Dominic Fernandes who in turn found a well-positioned Abdoul Fall who could not keep his shot within the goal framework and the chance was gone.
Churchill Bros finally broke the deadlock in the 49th minute when keeper Sanji brilliantly stopped Uttam Rai’s grounder but the ball rolled out into the path of skipper Nicholas who without and delay fired it into the net.
It did not take long for Churchill to make it 2-0 trough Uttam Rai whose sizzling shot crashed into the top corner leaving no chance to the keeper with Nicholas providing the assist.
In the 64th minute, Calangute midfielder Sidath Ndiaye brought down Churchill’s Wolfe inside the penalty box. Wolfe who stepped forward saw his spot kick being saved by a full stretch substitute keeper Shubham Naik.
Wolfe made amends for his earlier miss by finding the net with a diving header in the 73rd minute from a cross delivered by Jovel from the edge of the box to make it 3-0.
Uttam Rai hammered the fourth goal minutes later to complete his brace with a simple tap after being found by Shallum Pires with an intelligent cross to make it 4-0.
