Salgaocar clinch 7-goal thriller

Salgaocar clinch 7-goal thriller
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
MARGAO, JAN 8
Salgaocar Sports Club inflicted a 4-3 defeat on Churchill Brothers as they put a halt to their winning streak in a seventh round match of AIFF’s I-League at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Saturday. Salgaocar were leading 4-2 at half time.
Salgaocar went into the attack and maintained the momentum right through. Ghanaian veteran striker Yakubu Yusif and Japanese import Ryuji Sueoka combined well with midfielders Tomba Singh, Francis Fernandes, Rocus Lamare and Gilbert Oliveira. The Salgaocar defence marshaled by captain Luciano Sabrosa and Jaspal Parmar showed fine anticipation and alertness as they came up with some timely tackles to frustrate Churchill’s strikers Odafe Okolie and Kayne Vincent. They were unable to break free from the Salgaocar defence. In contrast, Churchill were a harried lot as Salgaocar attacked relentlessly.
Salgaocar were the first to settle down and came close in surging ahead when Gilbert Oliveira’s floater from the flanks was headed towards Yakubu Yusif who fumbled at the crucial moment in front of the rival goal. Ten minutes later, goalkeeper Lalit Thapa’s goal kick landed into five yards zone, stopper back Rowilson Rodrigues failed to clear the ball and lurking Yakubu Yusif made a mess of it.
Churchill suffered their first jolt in the 16th minute when Odafe Okolie suffered a thigh injury when Salgaoar striker and man-of-the-match Ryuji Sueoka tried to use a sliding  tackle but it hit Odafe’s thigh following a free kick taken by Luciano Sabrosa.
Salgaocar’s first goal came in the 18th minute through Kayne Vincent after a Robert L cross from the left was controlled by striker Vincent who unleashed a stiff shot that beat the Salgoacar custodian all ends up.
The setback brought the match alive with Salgaocar going all out for the equaliser. Their hard work paid off in the 27th minute through Jaspal Parmar. Following a foul on a Salgaocar player, the referee awarded the free kick. Off Rocus Lamare’s low free kick, Jasmal Parmar’s snap shot deflected from Churchill’s defence wall and also eluded the keeper.
Spurred by the equaliser, Salgaocar piled on the pressure and made it 2-1 in the 30th minute through captain Luciano after a flag kick taken by Ryuji Sueoka. Captain Luciano leapt high and nodded in keeping the rival keeper dazed.
Stunned by the lead, Churchill attacked and restored parity in the 32nd minute through substitute Durga Boro who came in place of Odafe. Midfielder Zakeer M found striker Durga Boro free and the last named turned around and slotted past the rival keeper with a clinical finish.
After the equaliser, Salgaocar’s Ryuji Sueoka flicked the ball in style off Francis Fernandes’ cross from the right and muffed a golden opportunity to increase their tally when Yakubu Yusif was brought down by Churchill’s defender Raju Y inside the rival penalty area and the spot kick taken by Rocus Lamare was blocked by Churchill keeper Lalit Thapa.
In injury time, Rowilson Rodrigues handled the ball inside the box off Ryuji Sueoka, resulting in a penalty. Ryuji made no mistake in beating the rival keeper.
Salgaocar continued in the same vein and had scoring chances but Yakubu Yusif was the culprit as he blasted wide from close range. In the 69th minute, Churchill reduced the margin, thanks to Karanjit Singh’s lapses. Following a floater from Robert L from the left inside the rival penalty box, goalkeeper Karanjit Singh came out unnecessarily and striker Kayne Vincent nodded in.
Salgaocar moved to second spot with 18 points while Churchill Brothers who succumbed to their first defeat, continue to remain on 13 points.
Salgaocar’s coach, Karim Bencherifa dedicated his team’s 4-3 win against Churchill Brothers to his boys, boss, son Adam, daughter Rania and his wife Vanessa. “This was a great win and I thank God. It was a personal win for me and I dedicate it to my dear ones. It was a great performance. I knew they would do their best and they did a great job. We are fully satisfied with the result,” Bencherifa stated.
When asked whether he was surprised with the outcome, he said, “I felt that it would be a tough match. But the manner in which the team performed was excellent. This is one of our best wins and it was great to come against Churchill Brothers,” Bemcherifa went on to add.
Churchill Alemao could be in trouble after berating the supervising officials after the match. He entered the dressing room after the final whistle and allegedly abused the officials. He questioned the wisdom of the referee in awarding the penalty against his team and not awarding the spot kick to them in similar situations. “You are finishing our team where we spent a lot of money to build it and you are demoralising our boys,” is what Churchill told the referee.
East Bengal 22 points, Salgaocar 18, Churchill 13 (11 goal difference), Dempo 13 (4 goal difference), Mumbai 13 (-1 goal difference), Pune 8 (-2 goal difference), AIFF 8 (-14 goal difference), Viva Kerala 7.