By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, August 5: In a nail-biting Group F encounter of the 133rd Indian Oil Durand Cup, FC Goa edged past Rangdajied United FC with a 4-3 victory in Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, on Monday.
The match, marked by end-to-end action and seven goals, kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Rangdajied United, a last-minute replacement for Hyderabad FC in the tournament, made a strong start by taking the lead in the 19th minute.
Owanijuh Pajuh capitalized on a defensive error by FC Goa, firing a powerful shot from distance to give his team an early advantage.
Leander D’Cunha, Devendra Murgaokar, Abawiha and Vellington scored for the Gaurs while strikes from Pajuh, a world class goal from Pynbha and one from Apbor, was not enough for the newly included team to earn a point from their opening game.
Both teams showed attacking intent, with Rangdajied United pressing forward and creating opportunities.
Despite their efforts, FC Goa’s defense managed to hold firm, preventing further damage.
The second half began with a flurry of action when FC Goa was awarded a penalty after a foul by Rangdajied’s goalkeeper.
Although Leander D’Cunha’s initial attempt was saved, he quickly reacted to the rebound and slotted the ball home to equalize.
Immediately after FC Goa took the lead when Devendra Dhaku Murgaokar directed a cross into the net.
However, the local team responded quickly with a stunning long range effort, equalizing the score again.
FC Goa regained the lead through another penalty, this time converted by Abawiha, despite the Rangdajied goalkeeper guessing the right direction. But the Shillong-based team refused to back down, with Apbor scoring from a tight angle to make it 3-3.
As the match neared its conclusion, FC Goa found the winning goal amidst disappointing noises from the onlookers. A shot from Likson hit the crossbar, and Vellington was on hand to tap in the rebound, sealing a hard-fought victory for the Gaurs in the final seconds.
This intense battle marked a memorable start to the tournament for both teams, with FC Goa emerging victorious in a close match.
CISF Protectors stun Mumbai City
Indian Super League winners Mumbai City FC were defeated by CISF Protectors 2-0 during their Group C match of the Durand Cup here on Monday.
Santosh Kumar scored an early goal in the third minute while Sahil Kumar netted the second late in the game to ensure that the para-military outfit recorded their maiden win of the competition.
CISF Protectors had earlier lost their opening game to Punjab FC.
Mohan Suresh Dass made five changes to Mumbai’s starting line-up while CISF head coach Ajit Kumar made two, playing with a 3-5-2 formation.
A cross from Bebeto from the left was received by Santosh, who was unmarked at the far post and finished it perfectly to hand CISF the lead.
A young Mumbai side struggled to find their footing and defend deep in their half as CISF dominated with possession, besides threatening with the attack.
Santosh came close to doubling the lead after finding himself free with the goalkeeper but could not convert.
Mumbai bettered their game in the last minutes of the opening half but failed to trouble the CISF goalkeeper, who did not have a save to make in the whole first half.
Meanwhile, CISF created two more chances to keep the Mumbai defence at bay.
CISF began the second half with a barrage of attacks as Pawan Pratap’s effort went wide.Mumbai’s efforts were unproductive as the CISF defence offered more physicality to disperse the attacks.
CISF finished the contest with Sahil finding the back of the net in the final minute of injury-time. (with inputs from PTI)