Sporting Clube score comfortable win

Team Herald

sports@herald-goa.com

MAPUSA: Sporting Clube de Goa registered a comfortable 2-0 win over Guardian Angel Sports Club in the sixth round league match of the GFA’s Professional League, at Duler stadium, here, on Saturday.

After Saturday's win, Sporting climb to third position with 11 points from five matches while Guardian Angel stay on fourth place with 8 points from six matches.

Both the goals came in the second session of play through the boots of Alton Vaz (75th min) and Marcus Mascarenhas (86th min).

Sporting in charge Francisco Vaz rested three of his first choice players on the bench keeper Melroy Fernandes, Giresh Naik and Marcus Mascarenhas having drawn against Calangute Association, while at the other end Guardian Angel's coach Riston Rodrigues retained almost the same squad that had drawn against Sesa FA.

In the first quarter of the match, Sporting held the upper hand and pinned their opponents inside their territory and came up with four corners but Angel keeper Pratheesh Veettil proved a hard nut to be cracked.

In the eighth minute, George D’Souza corner was cleared by Angel defender and the ball rolled to Alton Vaz who laid the ball to Nigerian Philip Odogwu who tried to get the ball into the goal with an intelligent flick but keeper Pratheesh superbly fisted the ball over the crossbar.

Angel's Ghanian Bamba Musah Moctar tried to penetrate the last line of the Sporting defense but stopper backs Joseph Clemente and Alton Vaz failed to bulge under pressure.

In the 23rd minute, Aslon Oliviera after seeing the Sporting keeper U20 Akshat Hadkonkar left his charge from the goal and latched a rasping strike at the goal but the keeper retreated and collected the ball.

Minutes later, another chance went a begging for Guardian Angel when Gilbert Oliveira sent a cross at the Sporting goal but Beneston Barretto who saw his header from close travel over the crossbar.

In the last quarter of the match, Sporting came up with a series of attack when Peter Carvalho’s strike was blocked by the Angel keeper Pratheesh with a diving save, while U20 Stendly Fernandes’ strike from inside the penalty box travelled just past the far post and minutes later Sachidanand’s stiff grounder was blocked by the keeper.

At the start of the second session, Sporting coach brought Marcus Mascarenhas from the bench replacing Joston Cardozo to bring more teeth in the attack.

Just two minutes into the second half and Sporting's Stendly Fernandes tried to find his teammate Philip upfront but keeper Pratheesh charged and cleared the ball to safety.

At the other end, Gilbert Oliveira sent in a curling free-kick to Bamba Musah at the far post whose header was confidently collected by the Sporting keeper Akshat.

Angel's fine defending finally collapsed in the 75th minute where from a short corner George D’Souza drilled a stiff grounder at the goal which was blocked by keeper Pratheesh at the first post and the ball travelled to Peter Carvalho who squared the ball to Alton Vaz who slotted the ball home to give his side the lead.

In the very next minute, Guardian Angel should have equalised but Benston Barretto's header off a long ball at the far post by Bamba Musah went just past the side goal post.

Sporting doubled their lead in the 86th minute when Marcus Mascarenhas collecting a through pass from Philip Odogwu moved inside the penalty box and scored with an adroit placement to make it 2-0.