Fr. Agnel, Verna just fall short of Subroto qualifying
Fr. Agnel, Verna just fall short of Subroto qualifying
Team from Goa rue spate of missed opportunities in crucial Pool G match in Delhi
NEW DELHI: Goa’s Fr. Agnel Multipurpose High School, Verna were left to rue their missed chances as they bowed out of under-17 football competition at the 63rd Subroto Cup being held in New Delhi.
Despite staying unbeaten in their three Pool G matches, the team from South Goa ended their campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Government Secondary School, Monigong, Arunachal Pradesh to miss out narrowly on qualifying to the knock-out quarter-finals.
Competing in Pool G alongside teams from Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep and Jharkhand, Fr. Agnel Multipurpose High School, Verna finished with two draws and a win to end their campaign with five points and finish in second spot from the pool.
Going all out for a win against Government Secondary School, Monigong, Arunachal Pradesh, the team from Goa fought hard and well for a 1-1 draw that was not enough for them to finish on top of their pool.
The first half saw both teams mount well-planned attacks, and despite holding the upper hand, Fr. Agnel’s missed at least three goal-scoring opportunities. In the third minute, Walton Fernandes missed a sitter in front of goal following a beautiful pass from hard-working Alex Fernandes.
Four minutes later, Walton’s well-struck kick sailed over the cross piece, and then in the 15th minute, Alex saw his kick end up into the waiting hands of the rival goalkeeper.
After the break, the school from Arunachal Pradesh came out all guns blazing and rightly took the lead in the 48th minute Mudang Lanyo found the back of the Fr. Agnel net.
After that goal, the team from Arunachal Pradesh worked on their defence, thus allowing the Goa team to mount attack after attack. Fr. Agnel’s worked hard in search of an equalizer and finally managed one only in the second minute of injury time when Ismail Nayak came up with a crafty placement following a deft ball from Allan Miranda from the right wing.