Team Herald
FATORDA: Flaming Oranje registered a narrow 1-0 win over Cuncolim Warriors in the Vedanta Women’s Football League, organised by Goa Football Association and played at Don Bosco ground, Fatorda on Thursday.
Stessi Cardozo scored the lone goal in the game to give her team a hard fought win over the warriors.
Both teams having lost their initial games in the first round, began with an attacking outlook with Flaming Oranje creating the first chance in the 3rd minute of the game through Stessi Cardozo.
Somaya Mukundar of Cuncolim Warriors looked strong in the forward for the warriors as her powerful shot went straight to the keeper. Stessi Cardozo’s long-range effort from the edge of the box went straight into the nets in the 6th minute giving the Flaming Oranje an early 1-0 lead.
On the counter attack Somaya ran into the box of a defensive lapse from the Flaming Oranje but found her shot right to the goalkeeper. In the 17th minute, Malvita Mascarenhas of Cuncolim Warriors had the best chance of equalizing but found her shot off a free kick straight on target into the keepers hands.
The first quarter saw both teams create equal chances but both the defenses cancelled out each other’s opportunities.
Chances kept dropping in for the Cuncolim team as left winger Vailnka D’Souza looked dangerous with support from Somaya Mukundar and Anushka Viegas in the box.
Stessi Cardozo should have added another from the edge of the box in the additional time of the fist session but her shot was well above the target. Stessi Cardozo’s goal in the early minutes is what separated the two teams at the break.
Being one goal down, Cuncolim Warriors came out stronger in the second half and created a lot of chances.
First came through from Sharon Fernandes who had a brilliant run into the box from the right side but failed to connect her cross.
Malvita Fernandes’s free kick in the 43rd minute went straight on to the target but the Flaming Oranje keeper Ashika Gadekar was strong to save it.
A good piece of passing between Somaya, Anushka and Vilma of Cuncolim Warriors in the 47th minute should have brought pairty in the score line but Anushka placed her shot off target.
The second session saw the Warriors put pressure on to the Flaming defense as Sharoon Fernandes eased pass two defenders and curled it to Anushka which failed to find the back if the nets.
The next two minutes saw Cuncolim tear up the Flaming defence with runs into the box through Life Gama and Vailnka D’Souza but it was a five star performance from the Flaming keeper who came out to save her post which eventually earned her the woman of the match.
Flaming Oranje held onto their narrow lead to take home all the points though it was Cuncolim Warriors who displayed a brand of football on the field.
