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A late penalty strike by Faiz Mohammad helped Sesa Football Academy beat FC Goa in a Goa Pro League clash at the Salvador do Mundo grounds on Monday, March 28. The win also helped Sesa Football Academy replace FC Goa at third place on the GPL 2021-22 points table, as both teams qualified for the next phase of the competition, the Super League.
Sesa Football Academy kick-started proceedings in the first half, but FC Goa quickly won possession and created their first goal-scoring opportunity in the third minute itself. A diving save by goalkeeper Roanal Gaonkar, however, kept the score sheet on level terms.
The next twenty minutes was an end-to-end affair between both teams, with Gaonkar and FC Goa shot-stopper Hansel Coelho being called into action frequently. This changed a few minutes before the drinks’ break, with the Men in Orange breaking the deadlock.
Velroy Fernandes found himself with loads of space inside the Sesa Football Academy penalty box, and fired his shot beyond the keeper and into the far corner of the net.
The goal helped Deggie Cardozo’s boys establish control in the match, as they started dominating especially in the midfield. The remainder of the first-half, however, remained goalless as the Gaurs returned to the dugout at the break with a one-goal lead.
Upon the game’s resumption, Sesa Football Academy’s efforts to score an equaliser finally bore fruit around the hour-mark, when Faiz Mohammad beat shot-stopper Hansel Coelho from close range. Post the goal, FC Goa tried their best to restore the lead but were ultimately undone by refereeing errors and a lack of cutting edge in finishing chances.
Just when everyone thought that the match would end in a draw, the referees wrongly awarded a throw-in to Sesa Football Academy. This was followed by a quick passage of play that caught the FC Goa defenders unaware, and their last-ditch attempt to clear the ball resulted in a penalty which was converted successfully by Mohammad.
Courtesy of the defeat, the Gaurs end the first phase of their GPL 2021-22 with 19 points from 11 matches. This was only their second defeat of their whole campaign so far.
