Substitute Riyadh B. scored the match winner as Indian Navy beat Tuff Laxmi Prasad SC 3-2 in a Group A quarterfinal league match at Raia Panchayat ground in Margao on Saturday.
After Ndbuisi Opera of Tuff Laxmi Prasad cancelled Britto PM and V. Lalchhuanmawia strikes, Riyadh scored the match winner for the visitors who finished their league engagement with three points from two matches.
Salgaocar FC, who play against Tuff Laxmi Prasad SC on November 3, just need a draw to enter the semi-finals.
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Lot was expected from the home team who had put up a commendable performance in the ongoing Goa’s Professional League but today they looked lethargic in their approach, the defence too looked jaded in the second half as they allowed gaps for their rivals who punished them with a double strike.
On the other hand, the visitors, who lost to Salgacoar 1-4, looked more energetic in their approach and more determined to score. They took the lead two minutes before half time after a Biplab Dhar long ranger hit the bar.
Devandasan, from the right, sent a cross to Britto inside the box who let go a right footer that found the corner of the net.
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The goal was a wake up call for the home team who retaliated and restored parity minutes before the interval when N D Opera found the net after rival defender failed to clear the ball to safety off Siddarth Kundaikar cross from the right to have both the teams locked 1-1 at half time.
Indian Navy, who held the midfield superiority in the second half, once again took the lead in the 46th minute when V. Lalchhuanmawia latched on to a ball from a cross from the right by Anoop Pauly and beat the rival keeper Jason D Mello with a stiff grounder.
Thereafter, it was a midfield tussle with both the teams missing couple of clear chances before N.D. Opera once again found the equaliser for the home team with a neat header from a flag kick taken by Mackroy Piexoto.
The goal saw the home team going for an all out attack in search of the winner and that left the gaps in the defence and Indian Navy struck the winner from a counter move to seal the home team’s fate of collecting a point.
A swift move from the middle saw V. Lalchhuanmawia lay a pass to Britto who in turn relayed it to better-place Riyadh who controlled the ball inside the box and sent an angular drive that beat rival keeper all ends up.