Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
DULER: New entrants Sao Minguel de Taleigao put up a brave performance to hold Dempo Sports Club to a 1-1 draw in the GFA’s Goa Pro League match, at Duler Stadium, on Monday.
Dempo SC started on an attacking pace and made their first strike at the rival goal in the 5th minute of play through Joaquim Abranches whose powerful shot was fisted away by the Sao Minguel Taleigao keeper Rohan Sheikh at the expense of a corner.
In the next minute Kapil Hoble saw his header miss the Sao Minguel Taleigao target by whiskers and then Adil Khan charged into the Sao Minguel Taleigao danger zone and sent a cross which was timely collected by the keeper before onrushing Felix Odili Chidi could do any damage.
While the Eagles attacked, it was Sao Minguel Taleigao who did the all important act of scoring, when in the 28th minute, one of their most experienced players, Levino Pereira hoodwinked his marker and sent a perfect long ball to Pramod Mardolkar who beat the keeper Tyson Caiado with a firm placement to make it 1-0.
In the 44th minute of play Dempo SC almost netted in the equalizer but U-20 Hayden Fernandes saw his blistering right footer bang the Sao Minguel Taleigao woodwork and bounced back into play.
Crossing over, Dempo SC once again held the upper hand on the match, keeping their rivals in their own backyard, wherein, in the 1st minute of the second session Nickson Castanha sent a teasingly low cross into the Sao Minguel Taleigao danger zone, however Kapil Hoble was a wee bit late in connecting the ball home.
Couple of minutes later Milagres Gonsalves, having only the keeper to beat blasted the ball wide.
German Preet Singh, who is back into the squad after his training at the India camp was unlucky on two occasions when first his shot rebounded off the side post and then his effort hit the horizontal bar and went out.
The constant pressure finally bore fruit for Dempo SC when in the 65th minute of play Adil Khan scored a gem of a goal when he beautifully connected to Aniston Fernandes cross to fire the ball into the Sao Minguel Taleigao nets to make it 1-1.
