FC Bardez Goa storm into Goa Police Cup Final

Alesh Sawant’s late strike secured a historic appearance in the showpiece for the new outfit..

FC Bardez Goa secured their place in the Final of the Goa Police Cup by edging out Vasco Sports Club in a thrilling last four contest played at Duler Stadium earlier today. This is the first appearance for the new club in a major tournament’s showpiece. The match was evenly contested throughout with both sides trading efforts on goal and periods of dominance. However, FCBG were fastest out of the blocks and dominated the opening 10 minutes. Five minutes into the game Peter dribbled the ball through 2two defenders and passed it to Girish Naik who failed to score with the Vasco custodian out of position. Two minutes later Alesh Sawant produced a good corner but Rowilson Rodrigues’ strike bounced into the ground and over the crossbar. Than Bardez had two chances in quick succession before halftime. In the 38th minute Jessel delivered a cross which was met by Myron but his shot was straight at the keeper. Three minutes later Naik was brought down just outside the box by Suchil MS. The resulting free-kick was taken by Jessel but it sailed over the bar. Both teams went into the break on even terms. A minute after the restart Sawant’s cross was poorly dealt with by the Vasco defense Kritikesh pounced onto the loose ball but his volley went wide. On 52 minutes Lenston Afonso produced a cross but Peter couldn’t convert from inside the box. In the 65th minute Jaison Vaz took on all comers in the Bardez backline but his superb run was halted by Afonso. The turning point in the game came with nine minutes to go when FCBG were awarded a freekick for Sudesh M’s foul on Sawant. The man himself stepped up to take it and burst the net with a wonder strike that brought everyone in the stands to their feet. Three minutes later Sawant was again in the action as he passed to Myron who in turn shot from range but his strike came back after hitting the woodwork before being cleared by the Vasco defence. The opposition couldn’t find a way back into the contest as Armando Colaco’s men sealed an historic win. The other Semifinal will be played tomorrow between Calangute Association and Salgaocar FC at Duler Stadium. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]