Goa Professional League / Local Football

FC Goa Dev Team win Police Cup in penalty shoot-out

by Chittu Shetty September 19, 2019

The young Gaurs squad defeated Sporting Club de Goa 6-5 on penalties to lift the Police Cup after normal time ended in 1-1

Goa, September 19, 2019: The FC Goa Developmental Team won their first trophy of the season after they defeated Sporting Clube de Goa 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out at the Duler Stadium, Mapusa. Nestor Dias scored for the Dev Team while Philip Odoglou netted an equalizer for Sporting.

Clifford Miranda made two changes to the team that won the semi-final against Dempo. Delzan Passanha and Vincy Barretto came in for Kapil Hoble and Flan Gomes.

The Dev team started the brighter of the two sides when Nestor Dias played in Lalnuntulanga, only for Sporting keeper Akshat Hadkonkar to grab the ball. Eventually, it was the Dev team who drew first blood as Christy Davis won the ball high up the pitch and squared it for Nestor, who expertly finished the chance in the 27^th minute.

Sporting would hit back in the added time at the end of the first half as striker Philip Odoglou would take advantage of a loose ball in the Gaurs’ defence to stroke it home past Dylan. The teams would head into the break level at 1-1.

The second half would start on an even keel as both teams kept the ball in midfield. Sezwin Fernandes, on for Christy Davis, got his head to a Hayden free-kick but saw the ball go wide of the Sporting goal. The Dev team would be reduced to 10 men in the 85^th minute when Nestor was sent off by the referee for a touchline scuffle.

The teams could not be separated in normal time and hence the final headed into a penalty shoot-out. Sporting took the first penalty through their captain Marcus Mascarenhas who converted his spot-kick. Hayden converted the Dev Team’s first kick, while Girish Naik put Sporting’s second wide. Tlunga stepped up to convert effortlessly, as did Assumption Soares for Sporting. Papuia and Gautam Dias also put their penalties away respectively for FC Goa and Sporting.

Leander blazed his spot-kick over the bar, while Sachidanand Satelkar gave Sporting a 4-3 lead in the shoot-out. Opi kept his nerve to send the game into sudden death. Myron Fernandes scored Sporting’s sixth as did Sezwin for the Dev Team. Brandon Gomes missed Sporting’s 7^th penalty as Ivon Costa converted to give FC Goa the win and the Police Cup trophy.