A goal in the last minute by Nigerian Junior Eligah enabled Sporting Clube de Goa beat Vasco Sports Club 1-0 in the opening match of the ONGC I-League football tournament at the Nehru stadium in Fatorda, Goa, on Friday.
It was a tale of missed chances for both teams in an evenly-balanced match.
Sporting Clube clinched victory in the last minute when Eligah finished off a well-measured cross from Chandrashekar Chinta.
Vasco defender Covan Lawrence was adjudged man-of-the-match.
East Bengal beat Chirag United
In the league's second match of the day, in Kolkata, East Bengal scored thrice in the first-half to beat Chirag United 3-1.
Surkumar Singh, Yusif Yakubu and Sunil Chhetri accounted for the winner's goals, while Sankar Oraon pulled one back for the losers.
East Bengal opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Surkumar blasted the ball into the Chirag goal past 'keeper Arindam Ghosh, who got both his hands to the long shot but failed to prevent the ball from entering the goal.
Yakubu increased the tally ten minutes later with a clinical header off a measured cross from Rennedy Singh.
Having missed a couple of easy chances, Chhetri, the hat-trick man of the AFC Challenge Cup final, was bang on target in the 27th minute.
Zeroing in on a midfield lapse following Arnab Mondal's poor footwork, the former JCT striker shot one past an advancing Arindam to put East Bengal high in the saddle.
Chirag United regrouped and created a few chances in the second-half and reduced the margin through Sankar Oraon, whose strong left-footer deceived national goalkeeper Subrata Pal.
Chettri was adjudged man-of-the-match.
© 2024 Rediff.com -