By Salgaocar FC Media
GOA: Salgaocar FC juniors continued to be perched at the top of the U-15 Youth League (Goa zone) table after playing out a goalless draw against SAI Goa at the Nagoa Panchayat Sports Complex earlier today. With this win the Greens have accumulated 8 points from 4 outings and still remain unbeaten in the tournament whilst the SAI lads have only 1 point to show.
The Greens started the brighter of the two sides and the first half chance fell to Flan Gomes who shot wide on the turn from inside the 18-yard box. At the other end of the pitch, SAI earned the first of the game, Hrithik Salve’s delivery easily dealt with by the Salgaocar defense. Flan was in the thick of things again as he combined well with Larryl Mascarenhas who found Chetan Komarpant in the box with a great diagonal ball, the latter’s attempted cross too weak and easily snapped up by Piyush Rathod in the SAI goal.
In the 14th minute of the game Salgaocar almost broke the deadlock as Piyush’s weak goal-kick landed straight at the feet of Frazer Gomes just outside the box but his effort went straight back into the waiting hands of the keeper. Around the half hour mark, the SAI keeper made another howler and was lucky to get away for the second time in the game. A cross from Frazer from the right seemed rather harmless but the keeper spilled the ball and Levy Pereira who was lurking seemed to have given the Greens the lead but saw his effort come off the underside of the crossbar and into the keeper’s hands. SAI got down the other end on the break and Salgaocar skipper Antonio Dylan D’Silva was quickly off his line to thwart Rohan Mongola.
The rest of the half saw the ball mostly confined to the midfield and devoid of any further chances.
Upon resumption, Salgaocar dominated the early exchanges and Flan Gomes shot straight to the keeper after a good interchange with Frazer in the box. SAI did find their bearings however and came back strongly. Around the hour mark a good break saw Sunil Kumar nearly find Akash Parwar with a through ball but the Salgaocar defense recovered well to avert the danger. In the very next minute a long ball found it’s way to the lively Shivam Badve on the left who cut in smartly and was fouled as he did so. Shivam who stepped up to take the free-kick saw his effort crash against the Salgaocar wall but he let fly of the rebound and his effort appeared to be dipping in but the Salgaocar keeper pulled off a stunning save to ensure the scores were still level. Minutes later it was Shivam yet again who found Avesh Chopdekar on the right with a long diagonal ball, the latter sending in a good cross only for Akash to head wide.
The game opened up in the final 10 minutes and witnessed end to end stuff. In the 82nd minute Ribhav Sardesai who was Salgaocar’s mainstay at the heart of midfield played a ball over the top for Levy Pereira who let fly but the SAI keeper was equal to the task and pulled off a good save. Substitute Aaron Barreto was inches away from being the hero of the evening as his venomous fee-kick from a little over 20 yards out with 2 minutes to play crashed against the upright and rebounded back into play. That was to be the last chance of a thoroughly entertaining clash.
