Hero Elite League: FC Goa U-18 held to 1-1 draw by Dempo
posted in Match Report by Sarthak Sharma on 24th January 2020
posted in Match Report
by Sarthak Sharma
on 24th January 2020
Hero Elite League: FC Goa U-18 held to 1-1 draw by Dempo
The FC Goa U-18 team conceded a goal deep into stoppage time as they drew 1-1 with Dempo at Ella Ground in the Hero Elite League despite impressing with their performance during the game.
FC Goa made early inroads once the opening whistle blew, and the likes of Joybert Almeida and Mevan Dias in particular looked the most threatening in the early part of the game.
The Young Gaurs made their initial dominance count as well, with a goal coming in the first ten minutes itself, after a ball into the box wasn’t dealt with by the Dempo defence.
FC Goa didn’t know much about it, but the ball appeared to come off a Dempo foot, later revealed to be that of Aryan Ashok Sawant, leaving goalkeeper Ryan Souza stranded as he watched the ball cross the goal line.
The early goal helped calm the nerves of the youngsters, who looked comfortable on the ball for the most part, and created a few more chances before the half-time whistle blew.
Mevan and Joybert appeared to be combining well up front, while the defence did its job too, even though Dempo did strike the woodwork towards the end of the first period.
The boys in orange made it through to the interval without conceding and in the lead, and it certainly aided their performance once they were back on the pitch for the second half.
It was Mevan again who carried the biggest threat going forward for the FC Goa youngsters, who might have been two ahead but for a shot that flew just wide of the post early in the second half.
The Gaur teens looked comfortable during the second period too, but needed to keep their concentration as the game entered its dying stages, and a lapse in judgment towards the end resulted in trouble.
Though they were largely untroubled for most of the second half, the FC Goa U-18 team let their guard down ever so slightly in stoppage time, resulting in a cross appearing to touch a hand and the referee pointing to the spot.
The boys’ complaints fell on deaf ears and the ref’s decision stood, and Necio Fernandes slotted the ball past Hritik Tiwari in goal to make it 1-1.
That was the last bit of action during the game, and despite the setback towards the end, the youngsters should be proud of their display in this Hero Elite League encounter.