Sporting Clube de Goa emerged victorious with a narrow 1-0 win against Calangute Association in a nail–biter Goa Professional League match at Duler Stadium in Mapusa on a humid Sunday afternoon under a patchwork of clouds and sun. The lone goal of the match came in the 87th minute when substitute Rohan Rodrigues found the back of the net, securing three crucial points for Sporting Clube de Goa.
The first half saw a resilient defensive display from both sides, resulting in a goalless stalemate at the interval. The turning point came when Sporting Clube de Goa's Rohan Rodrigues was brought in as a substitute during halftime. His impactful presence on the field manifested in the 87th minute when he clinically converted an opportunity into the decisive goal.
The match witnessed disciplined play, with limited yellow card action, as Ivon Costa of Sporting Clube de Goa received a caution. Calangute Association's goalkeeper, Sanij Bugde, and captain Pratesh Shirodkar put up a commendable effort but also caught the referees notice Calangute’s skipper found his efforts recognised however, as he won the Player of the Match award.
In another GFA Professional League fixture at Ella ground, Pax of Nagoa had a field day as they handed Young Boys of Tonca a thumping 6-0 defeat.
Pax of Nagoa began strong with an attacking presence, consistently testing the YBT custodian in the early minutes of the game. Their efforts paid off when a cross from the left flank from Velito Cruz met a Delton Colaco header that sent the ball clean past a flailing Tonca custodian to put Nagoa up 1-0. Tonca however made some appreciable moves, especially through set pieces, but the finishing was lacking, and went in to the break with a one goal deficit.
Nagoa on the other hand came out of the lemon break swinging, with the aggression notched up several gears. Their first move saw Wendell Coelho pass to Shubert Pereira, who made no mistake, sending a powerful left footed ball down the bottom right corner of the Tonca net just 4 minutes after resuming play. The third goal came off an easy ball in the 59th minute, following a save from the Tonca keeper, who was tested strongly in the exchange. The custodian crumpled to the ground, but the referee signalled play to continue and a simple finish followed as Jesloy Moniz lobbed the ball into the open goal.
To make matters worse, Young boys of Tonca committed a defensive error in the box awarding Nagoa a penalty in the 74th minute, which Jesloy Moniz calmly converted, smacking off the cross bar and into the Tonca goal for the fourth time in the game. The 88th minute saw Nagoa take the game even further out of YBT’s hands as Shubert Pereira’s strafing run down the middle culminated in a long range shot that beat the keeper handily. Shubert was not done however as he found himself with the ball deep in YBT territory with the ball, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, which he calmly slotted into the back of the YBT Goal to pick up his hat-trick, earn him the Player of the Match accolade and ensure his team had a solid 6-0 finish.
Pic caption: Shubert Pereira of Pax of Nagoa was named the player of the match
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