Lajong, de Goa splits point

Sporting de Goa and Shillong Lajong players in action on Tuesday. Pix by AIFF
Sporting de Goa and Shillong Lajong players in action on Tuesday. Pix by AIFF

MAPUSA, JAN 8:  Sporting Clube de Goa and Shillong Lajong settled for a point each after being tied goalless in a I-League clash at the Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Saturday.

Both teams did not do anything out of the ordinary to earn the full points. Shillong Lajong saw more of the ball in the first session but Sporting Clube did well to take control in the second session, although strikers of both the teams failed to show any quality.

Sporting Clube goalkeeper Ashok Singh was tentative at the start and it was his mistake that presented Shillong Lajong with the first chance of the match in the 12th minute.

A terrible miscommunication between the goalkeeper and defender Mathew Gonsalves saw Gbeneme Friday with an opportunity just outside the box, but Mathew did extremely well to dispossess Friday just in the nick of time.

Sporting’s first chance came from a counter attack. Joseph Pereira snatched a ball from a Lajong player and sent a long ball to Prathesh. The midfielder, however, could not release the ball in time.

Another counter attack, this time initiated by Jovel Martins saw Ogba Kalu use the outside of the foot to pick striker Seiya Sugushita, but the Japanese was a wee bit slow to react.

In the second session, Sporting continued to attack but it was Lajong who almost surged ahead. An intended ball into the heart of the Sporting defence saw Sushil Singh with an easy chance to head home from handshaking distance but the India striker messed up the chance, allowing the goalkeeper with a chance to save the attempt.

The easiest chance of the match, though, fell at the feet of Victorino Fernandes of Sporting Clube in the 64th minute. Kalu lobbed an overhead ball beautifully for Victorino, who beat the offside trap, but could not get the better of goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte in a one-on-one situation.- Courtesy AIFF report

 

You May Also Like

More From Author

+ There are no comments

Add yours