Siolim Sodiem overcome Tropa

MAPUSA, AUG 12
Siolim Sodiem Sports and Cultural Association overcame Tropa Sports and Cultural Association 2-0 in GFA’s Third Division at Siolim ground on Thursday. There was no score at the breather.
Dipesh Salgaokar’s yellow card in the 59th minute for his foul on Sitesh Kalangutkar was the only caution in the game. This was despite the heavy rain causing both sides to commit reckless, rather than malicious, tackles.  
Both teams struggled to keep hold of the ball in the early stages of the match, despite efforts from both outfits to keep possession.
It was Tropa who came closest to scoring first, in the 39th minute when Dinesh Kalangutkar’s shot from outside the box curled teasingly in the air before hitting the right post.
At half time, Sodiem’s Nikhil Goltekar was replaced after he suffered a knee injury, making way for Pandheri  Tamankar.
Just nine minutes into the second half, Sodiem struck the first blow, after Chrisperiso D’Souza latched onto the ball and finished calmly past Tropa keeper John D’Lima.
In the 67th minute, Sodiem doubled the lead when Basil Fernandes managed to loop the ball with his head over the rushing Tropa keeper, allowing teammate Mayur Toraskar to tap into an empty net from close.
With five minutes to go, the teams continued to push forward as the rain steadied. It was Sodiem who had the last good opportunity when Gopal Shirodkar’s shot was saved from point blank distance by the Tropa keeper.