Teen sensation Mauvin Borges netted the winner in the 83rd minute as Sporting Clube de Goa raced to a 1-0 victory over Salgaocar FC in the U-19 I-League at Tilak Maidan, Vasco on Friday. The match was goalless at the breather.
Before kickoff Salgaocar was on seven points from three games, while Sporting Goa was on three points from two matches and so the onus was on the Flaming Oranje to pick up some points away from home.
The first half was a drab affair with neither team making any real headway. Salgaocar had the only clear cut opportunity after just four minutes when James Fernandes squared the ball to Shubert Colaco, but he failed to make a good connection and the ball fizzled out.
Changing over Sporting Goa, came out off their shell and started to play with confidence as they chiseled out some dangerous moves.
Midway through the second half Sporting Goa’s Chingakham Singh attempted a long range shot from 45yards which forced the rival custodian into action.
Moments later, Sporting Goa’s Akeraj Martins was played through with a clever pass and from the right channel sent in a teasing cross, which was flapped to safety by the Salgaocar custodian.
In the closing stages, Sporting Goa had a hand ball shout for a penalty waved away by the referee, which seemed to spur them on.
Sporting Goa responded, as Mauvin Borges shot low into the back of the net through a crowded box to earn his side a vital three points, as the team celebrated joyfully.
“In the first half we were too direct which I didn’t like, but in the second half we were perfect. A combination of short passes and intensity gave us the edge,” stated Sporting Goa Coach Javier Cabrera.
With this win Sporting Goa closed the gap at the top and moved to 6 points from three matches, while Salgaocar stays on 7 points after four outings.