MAPUSA: Guardian Angel sports played their hearts out to hold mighty Dempo Sports Club to a 2-2 draw in the Goa Professional league played at Duler stadium here on Saturday.
In an action packed first session both the defenses were kept on their toes but it was Angel’s U-20 Jovial Dias (15″) minute goal that separated them from each other as the teams entered the tunnel for the lemon break.
Both the teams came into the match with a win and played aggressively to maintain their winning streak.
Angel’s medio Jovial Dias combined well with his striker Beneston Barretto upfront and came twice close early in the match in putting his team ahead. But Dempo keeper Melroy Fernandes rose to the occasion in keeping the slate clean.
At the other end, Dempo’s Richard Cardozo’s low cross at the Angel’s goal was timely blocked for a corner by defender William Niasso and in the very next minute skipper Beevan D’Mello’s strike was pushed for a corner by Angel’s keeper Pratheesh Veettil.
The Golden Eagles defence were caught napping in the 15th minute when an intelligent long low pass by Kimran Fernandes travelled past the defence to unmarked Jovial Dias who controlled the ball, darted inside the penalty box and excellently placed the ball into the far corner of the goal past keeper Melroy to give his side the lead.
Jovial almost doubled his lead but his fierce shot from close hit Dempo defender for a corner.
Dempo equalised in the 31st minute through Uttam Rai but the assistant referee Milagres Fernandes pulled the player for an off-side after Richard Cardozo rasping shot was brilliantly blocked by Angel’s keeper Pratheesh and the ball rolled to Uttam who had scored.
In the 39th minute, Beneston Barretto’s shot went just over Dempo’s cross bar while at the other end Angel’s keeper Pratheesh blocked Richard shot for a corner.
Dempo keeper Melroy came with an acrobatic save in the 45th minute to fist the ball over the cross bar to deny Jovial Dias from scoring.
On crossing ends, the Golden Eagles were a transformed unit and kept the rival defence on their toes.
Uttam Rai’s stiff grounder was pushed for a corner by keeper Pratheesh while Beevan D’Mello missed an open sitter.
However, finally in 58th minute, Dempo levelled terms where a corner by Richard saw Shallum Pires leap high above the Angel’s defenders and nod the ball into the goal to make it 1-1.
As the match progressed, it was Angel’s keeper Pratheesh versus Dempo for the next twenty minutes where the custodian brought back-to-back saves to fist Uttam Rai and Beevan D’Mello’s headers for corner and substitute Suraj Hadkonkar’s rasping shot paired over the horizontal bar.
All the brilliant keeping from the Angel’s keeper Pratheesh went in vain as his stopper back Leny Fernandes scored a self goal. A cross by Uttam Rai took a wicked deflection off Leny’s leg and the ball rolled into his own goal to make it 2-1.
In the 85th minute, Angel’s keeper Pratheesh managed to keep the score-line low as he flung to his left to pair Uttam Rai’s left footer for a corner.
When it looked the curtains were down for Angel’s, in the six minutes of added time a floater by Basanta Singh saw a scramble at the goal between Dempo and Angel’s players and substitute Joel Baretto tapped the ball home for the equaliser to make it 2-2.
