MAPUSA: Sesa Football Academy kept their cool in the penalty shoot-out to breeze past Army Red 5-3 and enter the last four of 127th Durand Cup pre-quarterfinals, at Duler stadium, here, Saturday. The teams were locked 1-1 at full time.
The Goan outfit started attackingly and it took them 16 minutes to break the deadlock as Alber Gonsalves gave finishing touches to a clever pass by Girish Naik.
The Army side stepped up for the challenge and came up with the equalizer, two minutes before the break with skipper Dilip M converting a beautiful free-kick from the top of the box, giving Sesa custodian Thokchom Singh no chance.
Post resumption, the teams tried hard to find the elusive match-winner. Sesa enjoyed the lion’s share of ball possession but their strikers could not make most of the given chances.
In the ensuing tie-breaker, the academy boys proved to be better shooters with Alber, Ponif Vaz, Yogesh Kadam and Agnelo Colaco scoring past rival keeper Nano Singh while Paresh Korgaonkar’s effort was saved.
Thokchom was excellent under the crossbar, blocking Army Reds’ Arjun Tudu from the spot-kick while Anthony Chettri’s effort hit the upright. Only Dilip and Santu Subba were on target for Army Red in the penalty shoot-out.
Our Margao correspondent adds: — In another match, Nigerian striker ND Opara’s lethal brace helped Tuff Laxmi Prasad Sports Club thrash Army Green 4-0 and enter the semi-finals, at 3MTR ground, Navelim. Tuff Laxmi led 1-0 at the break.
Army Green adjusted well to the wet ground conditions and carried out well orchestrated raids mostly from the right flank but lack of match experience prevented them from scoring.
The defence marshalled by former Salgaocar Football Club defender Chika Wali was stubborn at the rearguard and never allowed Army Green attackers any space to manoeuvre inside the Tuff Laxmi territory.
The home team slowly took over control and surged ahead at the half hour mark when striker Seniton Fernandes received the ball from Siddarth Kundaikar and the former bulge the net, 1-0.
Post resumption, Tuff Laxmi were a superior side with their forwards and midfielders working in tandem to put the rival defence under tremendous pressure. Nigerian striker Opara was clearly the best player on the field as he showed tremendous work ethic. He doubled the lead in the 54th minute after he slotted past the rival goalkeeper off a well measured cross from Marcus Mascarenhas.
Opara struck again to register his brace after outpacing both, the rival defender and goalkeeper Kanwaljit Singh as the last named failed to read the flight of the ball in the 80th minute.
Mackroy Piexoto drove the last nail into the rival coffin in the 87th minute beating the rival goalkeeper hands down with a snap shot.
Sesa will now take on another Goan outfit Tuff Laxmi Prasad Sports Club in the semi-finals, on Sunday, 3.30 p.m.
Vasco SC will meet AlFF under-19 side in an early morning kick-off on the same day, at 8 a.m.
