MAPUSA: Sporting Clube de Goa held new entrants Clube de Salgaocar to a goalless draw, securing their spot in the final round of the 2nd edition Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy, organised by the GFA, at Duler Stadium, on Wednesday.
Following the draw, Sporting Clube de Goa now has four points, while Clube de Salgaocar has two. Both teams, meeting for the first time, played cautiously, though Salgaocar had three clear opportunities to break the deadlock.
Sporting, who had an easy win against Pax of Nagoa, struggled offensively this time, with strikers Francisco Fernandes and Doyal Alves unable to register a single shot on goal.
Salgaocar’s defense, led by Reezvon Fernandes and Suraj, was solid. In the 23rd minute, Salgaocar’s Umang Gaikwad delivered a defense-splitting pass to Boinao Singh inside the 18-yard box, only for Sporting’s Dhiraj Chouhan to clear the danger for a corner.
Later, Boinao’s powerful header from close range, off a Royal Oliveira cross, narrowly missed the crossbar. Just after the restart, a pinpoint cross from Salgaocar’s Mevzen Oliveira found Boinao Singh, whose header brushed the gloves of Sporting’s keeper, Abhimanyu Singh, before hitting the crossbar and going out for a corner.
As the match progressed, Salgaocar had more chances but couldn’t capitalize. Boinao Singh’s header was saved by the goalkeeper, and Suraj’s header from a corner was blocked on the goal line by Dhiraj Chouhan.
In the final quarter, Sporting increased the pressure. Mark Carvalho’s shot was deflected for a corner by a Salgaocar defender, and Biswa Darjee’s header narrowly missed the target. A final opportunity for Sporting saw Ivon Costa’s powerful 25-yard strike stylishly tipped over the bar by Salgaocar’s goalkeeper, Sanij Bugde.
