Sporting Clube de Goa secured their place in the second edition of the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy after a gritty 0-0 draw against Clube De Salgaocar in the qualifiers at Duler Stadium on Wednesday.

Sporting Clube now sits atop the Qualifiers table with four points from three matches, while CD Salgaocar trails in second with two points, and Pax of Nagoa lingers at the bottom with just one point.

The first half saw Clube De Salgaocar dominate the proceedings, leaving Sporting Clube scrambling to keep up. Coming off a strong performance against Pax of Nagoa just days before, Sporting Clube struggled to replicate that form and looked disjointed across the pitch.

CD Salgaocar's Pratesh Shirodkar was a standout, orchestrating the midfield with precision, dispossessing opponents, and delivering key through balls. His efforts saw Salgaocar come close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions.

One of their best chances came when Royal Oliveira's cross found Boinao Singh, whose header narrowly missed the target. Later, Umang Gaikwad's pinpoint pass split the Sporting defense, finding Boinao Singh once again, but the striker, with only the keeper to beat, squandered the opportunity by shooting off-target.

Despite their dominance, CD Salgaocar couldn't capitalize, much to the frustration of Coach Keenan Almeida, who watched his side impress the crowd with their fluid football in the first half. Meanwhile, Sporting Clube, though lacking in attack, showed resilience defensively, with Francisco Fernandes looking shaky early on, but Dattaraj Gaonkar and Ivon Costa holding their own in midfield.

The second half saw Sporting Clube's Klusner Pereira come on for Joyson Coutinho to reinforce the defense. Pereira's impact was immediate, making a critical interception to thwart a Salgaocar attack in the box.

Sporting Clube held firm against the relentless Salgaocar attack, deflecting multiple threats to grind out a goalless draw. The hard-earned point was enough to secure their spot in the second edition of the Bhausaheb Bandodkar Memorial Trophy.