I-LEAGUE Media Team

GOA: Salgaocar Football Club registered their first win in the Hero I-League after putting it across Sporting Clube de Goa 2-0 at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Sunday.

Bikash Jairu opened the scoring for Salgaocar in the 45th minute and Sporting conceded an own goal in the 79th minute through Joyner Lourenco’s back pass.

Salgaocar Football Club had Darryl Duffy back for the game but the Scottish striker could only secure a place on the bench after not being able to attain full fitness. Duffy’s absence was always going to be felt but Salgaoar started so brightly that they could have been two goals ahead inside the first 15 minutes. Both chances were wasted.

The first was in the ninth minute when Bikash Jairu found himself all alone but he mistimed his shot and the ball ballooned wide. Five minutes later, there was another chance. This time Douhou Pierre carved a chance out of nothing to feed Aslon Oliveira on the platter but, left unmarked, the youngster could not time his run to perfection.

Sporting Clube started with Australian striker Boima Karpeh for the first time and his partnership with Anthony Wolfe was lively. Karpeh had a couple of half chances but it was not well after the half hour mark that Sporting looked like scoring. Prathesh Shirodkar had the first real chance but his shot from a narrow angle was parried away to safety by goalkeeper Subrata Paul. Another overhead ball from Ogba Kalu to Karpeh looked dangerous but slightly too long.

Salgaocar surged ahead at the stroke of half time and scored when nobody expected them to score. It came from a corner kick that Gilbert Oliveira floated, Francis Kasonde chested and his low grounder was directed inside the goal by Jairu, leaving Sporting Clube wondering what went wrong.

Sporting Clube pressed more men forward and dominated the second half but could not find the back of the net, largely because of some fine goalkeeping by Subrata Paul and poor finishing from the strikers. Don Bosco Fernandes had the chance to draw level but Paul dived at his feet and a minute later, Sumeet Passi was all alone and only had the goalkeeper to beat but he fumbled from handshaking distance.

Much against the run of play, Salgaocar scored their second goal and they were helped by Sporting Clube as defender Joyner Lourenco’s back pass to the goalkeeper saw Ravi Kumar fumble and allowed the ball to enter the net for an own goal.

Hero of the Match – Bikash Jairu