TEAM HERALD
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: With two goals down, never give up spirit enabled Sporting Clube de Goa to register a 3-2 victory against Dempo Sports Club in AIFF’s Under-19 I-League (Goa Zone) at Don Bosco ground, Panjim, on Wednesday.
Dempo led 2-1 at the interval. Sesa Football Academy had already qualified from this group for the All India round and so it was only pride at stake. Sporting Clube decided to give opportunities to the players that have not played in previous games and there were seven new eager faces added to the starting lineup.
Dempo opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, when Turnard Fernandes controlled a cross and buried the ball into the right hand corner of the goal.
Fourteen minutes later, Dempo looked to be in a commanding position when former Sporting Clube forward Nikhil Naik slotted the ball to the goalkeeper’s far post to double the lead.
Just when the game looked to be slipping away from Sporting Clube, Pandurang Naik smacked a shot from the edge off the box, which took a nasty deflection as it pierced the back of the net, to pull a goal back deep into injury time of the first half.
Changing over, Sporting Clube washed away the early lingering nerves and played with the intention to make a game of it.
Thirteen minutes into the second half Sporting Clube’s Chatur Naik won a spot kick after being fouled in the box. From the resulting penalty, Chatur blasted in confidently to equalize and make it 2-2.
Seven minutes later, Sporting Clube’s Arnold Fernandes was coolness personified as he blazed the ball from outside the box, to find what proved to be the match winner.
A determined Dempo looked to finish with a flourish, but by this stage the Flaming Oranje was home and dry.
