Goa Pro League: Shirodkar's goal seals victory for Calangute Association

Clive Miranda was judged the player of the match

Pratesh Shirodkar scored from the penalty spot in the 87th minute to hand Calangute Association a solitary goal win over Cortalim Villagers Social Welfare Sports Club in the GFA Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, Mapusa.

With this hard-fought win, Calangute Association now boasts six points from their opening two games, while Cortalim Villagers are still searching for their first points of the season after two matches.

The match began with both teams showing determination and a desire to secure victory. Sidney Lucas of Cortalim Villagers made an early attempt to create an opportunity, carrying the ball forward and attempting to find a teammate in the box. Unfortunately for his side, his low cross was efficiently cleared by the Calangute defense.

Calangute Association had their chance to break the deadlock when Vinayak Rane was fouled by the Cortalim keeper just outside the penalty area. The resulting free-kick was expertly taken by Pratesh Shirodkar, but his well-bent shot narrowly missed the target.

As the match progressed, Calangute continued to press forward. Vinayak had a golden opportunity to put his team ahead, but despite executing all the right moves, he failed to direct his shot on target from inside the box.

Cortalim Villagers also had their moments, particularly from set-pieces. One such opportunity arose when Selwyn delivered a free-kick into the box, but Bersal couldn't find the target with his effort.

Cortalim Villagers came tantalizingly close to breaking the deadlock when Sidney made a great run into the area and squared the ball to Denil Rebello, whose powerful shot was brilliantly pushed onto the crossbar by Calangute keeper Presley Mascarenhas. The subsequent corner kick didn't yield any results for Cortalim.

The second half saw more drama as Cortalim Villagers pressed for a goal. At the hour mark, Cyril created a promising counter-attack and tested the keeper. The rebound fell to Denil Rebello, whose header was cleared off the line by Calangute's Joywin Carneiro. Minutes later, Cortalim's captain, Clive Miranda, saw his header strike the crossbar, further frustrating their efforts.

On the other side of the pitch, Joywin Carneiro unleashed a thunderous strike from a distance, forcing Cortalim keeper Mackvino Colaco into a spectacular save.

The decisive moment of the match came when Calangute were awarded a penalty after Cortalim's Joliston Rebello handled Dalwin Coelho's cross. Pratesh Shirodkar stepped up confidently and calmly converted from the spot, giving his team a precious 1-0 lead.

Cortalim’s Clive Miranda was named the player of the match.