MARGAO
Corbett FC shattered Ambelim SC's hopes with a last gasp win 6-5 and reach the final of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship, at the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University, in the Vadodara district of Gujarat, on Friday.
Just six minutes in, tournament top-scorer PC Lalruatsanga put Corbett ahead in the 15th minute. Five minutes later, Mohammed Rizwan's side doubled their lead thanks to a brilliant solo goal from Pratik Swami, who left two green shirts behind with one slick touch before bombing forward and firing into the bottom corner. Swami turned provider for the third goal in the 19th minute as he served a square pass on a plate for Lalbiakzuala to sidefoot it in from close range.
Ambelim took some hope going into half-time as they pulled one back just 12 seconds before the break. Velon Joazinho Rebello surged through the middle before laying it off for Savan Shamrao Lotlikar, who lodged a first-time shot into the corner.
However, Corbett wasted no time restoring their advantage, scoring within 40 seconds of the restart as Malsawmtluanga Pautu stuck his foot out to convert Lalbiakzuala's cross. It became a see-saw contest in the second half, and while Ambelim finally got some goals, they were unable to fix their leaky defence.
Ambelim's pressure paid off minutes after the hour-the break as Nevil Dias bundled in a loose ball to make it 4-2, but Clive Miranda's own goal two minutes later restored Corbett's three-goal advantage. In the 31st minute, Aaron Dcosta squeezed it into the bottom corner for Corbett, while Ronaldo Rosebud Pereira got Ambelim's third. From 6-2, the Goan side narrowed the deficit to 6-5 in the space of five minutes. Fredsan Marshall's rather harmless-looking shot went through the hands of Lhakpa Dorjee Bhutia before Dias poked in his second of the game. Corbett managed the last four minutes expertly, keeping Ambelim at bay and securing their final berth.
Joao Rebello head coach of Ambelim Sports club expressed his disappointment after the loss. “We worked hard during the match. We started well but conceded an early goal and we made several errors."
“We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we created. Our goal was to win, but we failed in achieving that,” Rebello added.
"We meekly surrender our challenge to the opponents especially in the first half and constant attack left gaps behind for the opponents to exploit, and they almost did when they found himself in acres of space on the counter." Rebello concluded.
