MARGAO
Varca Sports Club pulled off a major upset, defeating tournament favourites Chandor Club 5-2 in a penalty shootout in a thrilling quarter-final clash of the 17th London Trophy Inter Village Football Tournament 2025. The match, organized by Goa Velha Sports Club, concluded with a 1-1 scoreline at the end of regulation time.
Chandor Club drew first blood in the 33rd minute when Louie Noronha's strike found the back of the net, beating Varca goalkeeper Muhamad Shaikh. Chandor maintained their slender 1-0 lead heading into the halftime break.
However, Varca Sports Club fought back in the second half. In the 58th minute, they were awarded a penalty after a Chandor defender was penalized for a handball inside the box. Yunal Fernandes stepped up to take the spot-kick and calmly slotted it home, bringing Varca level.
Despite both teams' efforts, the score remained 1-1 at the end of regulation time, forcing the match into a penalty shootout to decide the semi-finalist.
In the tense tiebreaker, Varca Sports Club held their nerve, successfully converting four of their penalties through Yunal Fernandes, Jobern Cardozo, Salim Sadekar, and Clavis Gonsalves. Chandor Club could only manage to score once, courtesy of Alreach Peixoto, as Mark Fernandes and Richard Fernandes failed to convert their spot-kicks.
The match also saw some disciplinary action, with the referee Rakesh Vaka cautioning Salim Sadekar of Varca Sports Club and Akram Yadwad and Louie Noronha of Chandor Club. The intensity of the encounter boiled over, leading to the expulsion of Aaron Bareto of Varca Sports Club and Moises D'Sa of Chandor Club for violent conduct.
With this hard-fought victory, Varca Sports Club has secured their place in the semi-finals, where they are scheduled to face Guardian Angel Sports Club on April 5.
Yunal Fernandes, who scored the equalizing penalty and one of the decisive spot-kicks, was named the Man of the Match. The award was presented by Mr. Agnelo Fernandes, Deputy Sarpanch of St. Andre Village Panchayat, a player, and a member of Goa Velha Sports Club.
