Guardian Angel's Ronald bags treble against Pax of Nagoa
PANAJI
Churchill Brothers eased past Panjim Footballers 4-2 in the Goa Professional League relegation zone at Benaulim ground on Thursday.
Churchill Brothers pressed forward with intent in the first half, constantly searching for a breakthrough. Scott Fernandes delivered a dangerous cross from the left flank towards the far post, only for a Panjim defender to clear it away. However, the loose ball fell kindly for Alent Colaco at the edge of the box. He took a touch before firing a shot at goal, but his effort lacked accuracy and sailed off target.
Churchill Brothers came out in the second half with renewed intensity, and their efforts paid off in the 50th minute when Haokip finally broke the deadlock. Alent Colaco threaded a precise through ball to Haokip, who weaved past Panjim goalkeeper Bhaskar Jalmi before firing his shot. Though Jalmi managed to get a hand to the initial effort, the rebound fell kindly for Haokip, who took a touch, evaded the scrambling defenders, and calmly slotted it into the bottom left corner.
Panjim came agonizingly close to an equalizer when Ajay Raj unleashed a powerful strike from a free-kick just outside the box, only to be denied by the woodwork.
Just two minutes later, Churchill Brothers doubled their advantage in dramatic fashion. Jolly Singh fired a low drive from the edge of the box, which took a crucial deflection off Panjim defender Sainath Kankonkar, wrong-footing goalkeeper Bhaskar Jalmi and nestling into the net.
Minutes later, Churchill Brothers were reduced to ten men as Scott Fernandes was shown a straight red card for dissent, putting his side under pressure.
Despite being down to ten men, Churchill Brothers struck again, with Haokip securing his brace in style. Winning possession at the edge of the box, he spotted the advanced goalkeeper and coolly chipped the ball into the net, extending Churchill’s lead to 3-0.
Panjim, however, found a late response. In the dying minutes, Veron Pereira pulled one back with a sublime curling effort from the left flank that sailed into the far post.
Deep into stoppage time, Panjim were awarded a penalty after Richie Vaz’s strike was handled inside the box. Veron stepped up and calmly slotted it home, completing his brace and giving his side a glimmer of hope.
But Haokip had the final say, sealing his hat-trick in emphatic fashion. Alent Colaco slipped in a precise through ball, allowing Haokip to charge into the box before smashing his shot through the legs of the Panjim goalkeeper, securing a 4-2 victory for Churchill Brothers.
Meanwhile at Nagoa ground, Guardian Angel clinched a 4-2 victory over Pax of Nagoa, fueled by a stunning hat-trick from Ronald Singh while own goal from Clemente further bolstered Guardian Angel’s tally. While Nagoa fought back with strikes from Stephen Satarkar and Shubert Pereira to reduce the deficit.
