Team Herald
MAPUSA: Salgaocar Football Club clinched the Champions Trophy Charity Match 2017 title after a 2-0 win over Football Club de Bardez, organised by Goa Football Association, played at Duler Stadium, here on Sunday.
Gilbert Oliveira 45+1’and substitute Clencio Pinto 77’scored for the winners in the one sided affair.
The winners scored once in each half.
Both sides resorted to midfield tactics for the initial half hour of the match.
The Goa Pro League champions were captained by Rosario Mendes. Lalit Tariad on the left wing made quite an impact on the game with Mackroy Peixoto in the midfield and Gilbert in the strike.
The match was played on equal footing as the teams restricted midfield play in the first quarter of the match.
Salgaocar soon went on to dominate the match proceedings and attacked through Mackroy Peixoto who swiftly passed the ball to Gilbert Oliveira however the defender got to ball first.
It was Salgaocar who created the first threatening move on the rival territory in the 30th minute when Harmanjot Singh flashed a vicious cross across the face of the FC Bardez goal, however, defender Stanley D’Silva cleared the ball to safety before Agnelo Colaco who was lurking nearby could do any damage.
Hardly two minutes into the match Salgaocar came with another threatening move, however, this time Gilbert Oliveira’s strike rebounded off the Bardez cross piece.
The constant pressure finally paid off, where in the 40th minute Harmanjot sent a perfect pass to Gilbert Oliviera who after beautifully controlling the ball flicked it into the Bardez nets, 1-0.
Before the start of the second session, a minute silence was observed for the departed soul of referee Kevoy Fernandes. Salgaocar did not waste much time and should have consolidated the lead within two minutes of changing ends, however, Harmanjot Singh failed to give finishing touches to Ribhav Sardessai’s low cross. Couple of minutes later a well combined move by Ribhav and Harmanjot Singh was thwarted by the Bardez keeper at the expense of a corner.
Bardez came close to levelling terms in the 69th minute of play when Jessel Carneiro set up Lenstan Afonso whose header from handshaking distance was pushed for a corner by the Salgaocar keeper.
In a counter attack move by Salgaocar FC, super-sub Clencio Pinto nailed in an astonishing goal to give his team a 2-goal lead. Coach Norberto’s substitutions proved to be on mark as Ribhav sent in the ball to Clencio who brilliantly placed the ball home.
