FC Goa became the third team to reach the quarter-finals of the 130th Durand Cup football tournament after scoring a 2-1 win over Sudeva Delhi FC in the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati, courtesy goals from Mohamed Nemil and Spaniard Jorge Ortiz Mendoza. Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata on Monday. William scored from a penalty for Sudeva.
The two sides clashed in a Group B encounter and in the end the fate could not have been more varied for both the sides. While Goa maintained a 100% win record after two games, Sudeva has now gone down in both and is out of the reckoning.
The game was again played in heavy underfoot conditions and at times in heavy rain, with the second half to be completed under the powerful lights of VYBK.
There were no clear cut chances in the first half of the game, although Sudeva did manage to grab some half chances. Most of Goa’s moves were coming from the right side with a combination of Man of the Match Cerriton Fernandez, Romario Jesuraj and Spaniard Alberto Noguera Ripoll.
Just when one thought the half would be goalless, Nemil pulled off a powerful left-footed curler from outside the box in the second and final minute of extra time to beat keeper Sachin Jha wide. It was a brilliant strike and came from a talented young midfielder.
Sudeva started the second half with the front foot and determined to equalize. He created two chances in the first 10 minutes but could not score.
Coach Chencho Dorji effected a change for Sudeva in search of an equalizer, but the Delhi side suffered another blow and injured first-choice keeper Sachin.
FC Goa on the other hand was going from strength to strength. Ripoll missed a relatively simple one in the 63rd minute with Sudeva’s replacement keeper Legend Singh, who hit him straight.
It would be his last contribution to the game as a minute later Goa’s Juan Ferrando Fenol effected a triple change, with Ripoll’s fellow Spaniards Edu Bedia and Jorge Ortiz Mendoza replacing Brison Fernandes in addition to Glenn Martins and goal scorer Nemil. was taken.
The change worked as Ortiz scored the second goal for Goa in the 80th minute with a shot from outside the box, which defeated Legend, hit under the crossbar and fell before coming out.
Sudeva managed a consolation very late in injury time when William Polyankhum converted a spot kick for a foul in the box by Edu Bedia, but it was too late.
read all breaking news, breaking news And coronavirus news Here
.