MAPUSA: Churchill Brothers FC registered a hard fought 1-0 win over FC Goa in the inaugural match of the Goa Professional League organised by Goa Football Association, at Duler Stadium, here, on Sunday.
Both the teams coaches fielded seven U-21 players each, in their Starting XI.
In the entire first session both the teams had just one good look at each other’s goal.
Young Gaurs Balkaran Singh saw his header off a free-kick zoomed just past the crossbar.
At the other end, Churchill’s Alent Colaco set up his skipper Jobern Cardozo just outside the 6-yard box whose strike at the goal was brilliantly blocked for a corner by rival defender Balkaran Singh for a corner.
On resumption of play, in the very 3rd minute a fierce volley by young Gaurs Leewan Castanha off a corner travelled just over the cross bar.
Red Machine opened their account in the 56th minute with Trijoy Dias controlling the ball with his chest from his skipper Jobern Cardozo and finishing it with a rasping left footer which crashed into the far corner of the goal to send Churchill Brothers supporters into ruptures, 1-0.
Red Machine almost doubled their lead eight minutes later from a smart move initiated by Pushkar Prabhu to Jobern Cardozo whose hot-blooded shot was blocked by Young Gaurs custodian Tajamul Islam and the ball travelled to Trijoy Dias whose tap went over the horizontal bar.
Young Gaurs mounted pressure in search of the equaliser where a cross at the goal by Castanha was swayed over the cross bar by Churchill’s goalkeeper Subhajit Bhattacharjee.
In the 81st minute, young Gaurs’ Bryson Pereira drove a scorching 30-yard right footer which saw Churchill’s goalkeeper Bhattacharjee flung high at the far post and pair the ball for a corner.
Two minutes later, goalkeeper Bhattacharjee was back in action to collect Castanha header off Reezvon’s cross inside the 6-yard box.
Churchill Brothers striker Trijoy Dias received the man-of-the match award from the hands of GFA’s President Dr Caitan Fernandes.
