Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
MAPUSA: FC Bardez struggled before squeezing past the already crowned champions, Sporting Clube de Goa by a solitary goal win in their GFA’s U-20 TACA Goa league encounter, played at Duler stadium here on Tuesday.
This is the first time that the young U-20 Sporting Clube de Goa lads have faced a defeat in the league this season.
It was Viraj Naik’s late goal that separated the two sides.
Despite the defeat Sporting remain on top of the league table with 19 points off 8 matches while Bardez go to third place with 15 points.
Both sides adapted to midfield tactics for first half hour, with moves few and far between.
In the 31st minute Myron Fernandes saw his curling 25-yard free-kick go inches past the Bardez goal.
In the final minutes of the first half, Myron Fernandes charged into the Sporting area and set up Prisco Moura who further relayed the ball to unmarked Harshad on the right side, only to see the latter shoot wide from close range.
On resumption of play, Sporting started off on an attacking note where in the first minute itself Harshad set the ball on platter to Brandon Gomes whose rasping right footer banged the Bardez side post and rolled towards Snedden Rodrigues whose effort too was denied by the woodwork.
At the other end Anil Chavan ran into the Sporting penalty area and sent a pinpoint pass to Ronil Azavedo only to see the latter blast the ball wide.
Five minutes later Ronil almost put Bardez into the lead however Sherwin Da Cunha came with a fine save to thwart his header.
The much awaited goal finally happened in the 84th minute of play when Viraj Naik positioned himself perfectly inside the Sporting penalty area to score through a firm header, 1-0.
Sporting came teasingly close to level terms however Shawn Noronha’s blistering long range shot hit the Sporting woodwork.
