Team Herald
MAPUSA: Twice down by a goal, Sporting Clube de Goa U-21 clawed back their way up to get the better of DSK Shivajians FC by a 3-2 win, in the All India Bandodkar Gold Trophy football tournament Group B match organized by GFA at Duler Stadium, here, on Saturday.
Sporting Clube have now qualified for the semi-finals with six points.
In a high tempo match, both the teams went into half-time, locked in a 1-1 draw.
It was DSK Shivajians who had the first crack at the rival goal when in the 15th minute Prasanth K charged into the Sporting Clube citadel and unleashed a powerful right footed strike which missed the target narrowly.
Minutes into the match, Prasanth flashed a pinpoint cross to Nikhil Mali inside the danger zone, however the latter headed at Sporting Clube keeper Sherwin Da Cunha.
Sporting Clube too had their fair chances of scoring. However, Ndidi Chukwuma, Harshad Naik and Schubert D’Costa failed to keep their cool on entering the danger zone.
DSK Shivajians finally scored the much awaited goal in the 40th minute of play when K. Lalthathanga set up Jesse Ralte, who fired the ball in past the advancing keeper, 1-0.
Moments before the lemon break, Sporting Clube managed to restore parity through Harshad Naik, who on getting hold of the ball from Jesmon Soares, slotted it home from close range, 1-1.
Crossing over, Sporting Clube were placed with a golden opportunity to take the lead when Avrhishto Fernandes was dangerously tackled inside the danger zone Rohit Kumar, thereby initiating the referee Prasad Surlekar to point to the dreaded spot. But Jesmon Soares, who stepped forward to take the kick shot wide to the dismay of his team.
After some midfield play, Rohit put DSK Shivajians into the lead in the 59th minute, nodding in Vanlalremkima’s defence splitting cross, 2-1.
Nine minutes into the match, Sporting Clube once again levelled terms, this time from the penalty spot when Vanlalremkima was found guilty by the referee for bringing on a vicious challenge on Sporting Clube’s Sarineo Fernandes. Ndidi fired the ball in from the penalty spot to keep their hopes alive in the match.
The equalizer seemed to have lifted up the spirit of the Flaming Oranje, who in the very next minute scored the all-important match winner through Harshad Naik who on being set up by Sarineo Fernandes, unleashed a powerful right footer which had no answer from the rival keeper, 3-2.
The match took an ugly turn in the 80th minute when Sporting Clube’s Clive Miranda and DSK Shivajians’ Lalliansanga were given marching orders for fighting. The referee also sent Sporting Clube’s Manager Anthony Francis Vaz to the stands for abusive language.
DSK Shivajians came teasingly close to levelling terms in the 85th minute. However, Rohit’s header kissed the horizontal bar.
The frustration of the DSK Shivajians were clearly visible as two minutes later Rohit brought on a dangerous tackle on Sporting Clube’s Avrhisto, prompting the referee to flash a red card and send him into the stands.
Harshad Naik of Sporting Clube de Goa received the Man-of-the-Match cash prize of Rs 5,000 from Gajanand Kerkar, GFA’s executive member.
