Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
MAPUSA: St Anthony’s SC, Marna-Siolim, registered a fluent 3-1 win over Chapora Yuvak Sangh in the Goa Football Association’s Division I League Group B match played at the Duler Stadium, here, on Friday.
After last season’s Division III League final between Peddem Bomm SC and FC Sanquelim, at Duler Stadium, on Friday almost 2,500 spectators flocked to the stadium to cheer their teams, where St Anthony’s SC went into the breather with three-goal cushion.
After this win, unbeaten St Anthony’s SC have 15 points, while Chapora YS suffered their first defeat, stayed on 9 points.
The first session was equally contested but while St Anthony’s SC scored, Chapora YS time and again failed to find the net as St Anthony’s SC goalkeeper U-21 Micky Dias brought out of the blue saves.
In the very 2nd minute, St Anthony’s SC should have surged ahead where a clever chip by Pushparaj Mandrekar travelled over the onrushing Chapora YS custodian Ozen Silva and over the crossbar.
St Anthony’s SC opened their floodgates in the 10th minute where a right footer by U-21 Chandrakant Shirodkar dipped into the far corner of the goal, 1-0.
It did not take long for St Anthony’s SC to double their lead when a deadly cross by Siddhant Shirodkar was smartly headed by Pushparaj into the goal, 2-0.
Chapora YS came strongly into the match but St Anthony’s SC goalkeeper proved a hard nut to be cracked as he flung to his left and right to block Rohan Pednekar, Saimesh Gaonkar and Salman Khan back to back strikes.
In the 35th minute, St Anthony’s SC Nathan D’Souza sent an intelligent through pass to Siddhant who darted inside the 18-yard box and placed the ball into the far corner of the goal, 3-0.
In the last five minutes before the breather once again St Anthony’s SC goalkeeper Micky denied Rohan, Venito Costa and Nakul from scoring.
On crossing over, early in the match, two rasping shots by Chapora YS’ Cain Fernandes and Myron Fernandes came off St Anthony’s SC horizontal bar.
However, finally in the 62nd minute, Chapora YS scored from a 30-yard strike by Chadel Fernandes, 3-1. Two more chances went abegging for Chapora YS with Cain’s header travelling out from a close, while a stiff grounder from Bersel Viegas was saved by St Anthony’s SC goalkeeper.
At Poriat ground, Calangute, Candolim SC managed to hold Cuncolim Union SC by 1-1 margin. Shelford Fernandes put his team Cuncolim Union ahead in the 39th minute.
However, at the strike of 45th minute, Cuncolim Union’s Saiesh Govekar netted an own goal to make it, 1-1.