PANJIM: Churchill Brothers FC began their I-League campaign on the back foot.
Playing a home match at the GMC Athletic Stadium at Bamboli, the lone Goan team in the league suffered a 1-2 reverse to 10-man Rajasthan United FC on Tuesday.
Melroy Melwin Assisi shot Rajasthan ahead in the 29th minute.
Churchill equalized in the first minute of time added on in the first half through Abdoulaye Sane.
Rajasthan sealed three points when substitute P M Britto scored against his former club in the 75th minute.
Victory went where it was deserved on the day. Rajasthan largely controlled play despite the Goan outfit’s frenetic efforts to exert pressure.
Kingslee Fernandes fired wide past the far post with the match barely a minute old and minutes later Lamgoulen shot across the goal as Churchill served notice of their intentions.
Rajasthan, however, weathered the early storm and came into it gradually after Churchill forward Manuel Cordero Giuli pulled a hamstring and was substituted.
Sane stepped into the breach and his presence seemed to provide Churchill’s endeavour a degree of zip.
Pedro Tanausu or ‘Tana’, the Spanish livewire of Churchill’s attack, combined with the Frenchman and Kingslee got a touch to Lalawmpuia Sailo who shot wide on 17 minutes.
The Goans slackened their pace thereafter and in a first serious offensive by Rajasthan, Martin Chaves found Spanish compatriot Joseba Beitia whose shot was blocked.
The effervescent Chaves however brooked reward for a fine run and cross from the left that found Assisi nodding in past goalkeeper Nora Fernandes for the opening goal.
Churchill Brothers went into the interval on level terms when Sane buried the ball after goalkeeper Mohd Rafique failed to slap clear Sailo’s essay in a melee induced by Lamgoulen’s cross from the right.
After Ragav Gupta struck the bar from distance, Rajasthan were not to be denied in the 75th minute.
Britto, player of the match, was only minutes on the pitch when he accepted Chaves nifty touch with glee after the ball fell to the Spaniard from compatriot Nuha Krubally.
A second yellow expelled Hardik Bhatt and Churchill’s urgent quest for the equaliser found Aidar Mambetaliev clearing Sane’s header on the line in injury time.
