Team Herald
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RAIA: Sai Avtar, Anjuna, pipped Guirdolim Club 2-1 to enter the final of 35th All Goa St Anne’s Festival inter-village soccer organised by Ponda Footballers in association with SAG and Bhatikar Charitable Trust at Animal Husbandry ground, Curti-Ponda, on Sunday.
Mohammed Adur and Anirudh Tuyekar scored for Sai Avtar and Moises D’Sa reduced the margin for Guirdolim Club. Sai Avtar dominated the first half and Guirdolim Club dominated the second half.
In the 11th minute, Samuel D’Souza gave a through pass to Mohammed Adur, who scored for Sai Avtar. In the 25th minute, Pavan Dhargalkar gave a diagonal pass to Aniruah Tuyekar who blasted into the goal to make it 2-0.
Guirdolim Club reduced the margin in the 30th minute when Myron Fernandes passed the ball to Moises, who placed over the advancing keeper to reduce the margin 1-2. In the second half, Guirdolim Club tried their level best but Sai Avtar’s goalkeeper Soma Korgaonkar was a hard nut to crack. Sai Avtar will now take on Nerul SC in the final on July 27.
Earlier, Chaitan Dabholkar netted the all-important goal in the semi-final to put Nerul Sports Club into the final.
The match started at a fast pace and both the teams played attacking football. Don Bosco Oratory, Fatorda, defender in the 22nd minute of the match left the ball to the goalkeeper who delayed in coming out and Chaitan just tapped the ball over advancing goalkeeper to score the only goal.
Former Sesa goalkeeper and coach Anand Arkondkar gave away the man-of-the-match award to Chaitan Dabholkar in the presence of Santan Furtado.