Guardian Angel pip FC Goa in GPL

Abel Hammond scored the all-important goal for the Angels...

Guardian Angel Sports Club edged past FC Goa as they registered a narrow 1-0 win in the Goa Professional League match played at Duler Stadium earlier today.

Goan had drawn their last match with Calangute Association all thanks to added time penalty goal from Veegan Ferrao, while Guardian had lost 2-1 to Vasco SC in their previous match.

Princeton Rebello who recently represent India U-19 in the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers was back in the Goan starting XI, while their coach Clifford Miranda also brought back midfielder Leander D’cunha and Franzil Negredo. Whereas, Goalkeeper Ram Sroop and defender Sanwil D’Costa were back in the Angels’ starting XI.

Goan started the match on attacking note as Jonathan Cardozo had a chance to put his side ahead when Yasir Mohammad made an excellent through pass to find him in the box but the midfielder’s shot missed the target narrowly.

Angels quickly replied them with a swift attack when their foreign striker Abel Hammond snatched the ball from Goan keeper Iprotip’s gloves but there was no one to connect him in the box.

A few minutes later, Goan’s Leander tried his luck from the distance with a powerful grounder from the distance but Angels keeper Sroop dived to his left to clear the danger.

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At the other end, Angels surprisingly took the lead in the 12th minutes when the Goan defender failed to clear Myron Borges header pass in the box, taking advantage of the same Abel placed the ball at far post making it 1-0 for the Curchorem side.

Down by a goal, Goan regrouped and came up with series of attacks on the opponents but poor finishing restricted them from finding an equaliser. In one of these, Yasir once again made a superb through pass to Leander in the box but Leander failed to keep his shot on goal as the ball went out for a goal-kick.

They had the best chance in the 45th minutes when Princeton cut past few opponents in his run and sent an inch-perfect through pass to Yasir in the box but the striker shot on advancing keeper instead of directing it in goal.     

Angels could have doubled their lead in the very first minutes of the second session when Abel was in the commanding position to score but his powerful shot just went wide. Ten minutes later they once again came up with a chance to inflate their lead when skipper Nicholas Rodrigues’s fine corner found Alson Fernandes but the defender headed wide from close.

Goans also had a few chances in the later part of the match as first, Saviour Gama failed to connect from close off Yasir’s curling cross in the box and later Jason Barbosa headed sky high of Kinglsee Fernandes’ short cross.

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The last few minutes witnessed few more attacks from the junior Gaurs but Angels defence led by Nicolau Colaco gave no space for opponents forwards as the match ended in Curchorem side.