Goa sinks Bengal 2-0 in Santosh Trophy

Gurgaon, Oct 16 (UNI) Holders Goa dished out a vastly improved performance to blank West Bengal 2-0 in a Group A quarterfinal league match of the 61st Santosh Trophy here today.

Peter Carvalho put Goa team ahead in the 31st minute, while India international Freddie Mascarenhas (91st) completed the tally in the injury time.

Having lost the first match against Punjab, Goa needed a win today and coach Mouricio Aphonso made his intention clear by fielding Freddie Mascarenhas right from the beginning. The young forward didn't let his coach down either and did a wonderful job up front, along with Carvalho.

In a fast-paced, see-saw match with fortune fluctuating for both sides, Bengal had an upper hand for the first 25 minutes and they made some goal-bound attempts but failed to find the net.

Goa then took control of the remainder of the first half, scoring through Carvalho from a corner kick. Nicolas Rodrigues took the flag-kick and Carvalho outjumped his marker and after his header came off a defender, he banged it home with a left-footer.

After the breather, a desperate Bengal went all out for a goal but mispasses and poor finishing eluded them an equaliser. Against the run of the play, the Goans, who went up front only with intermittent counter-attacks, sealed the fate of the match, much to the dismay of the Bengal supporters through Freddie Mascarenhas.

Rodrigues beat the off-side trap from a long clearance, darted down the left flank and essayed a measured cross, which after deflected by the goalkeeper's outstretched hands, fell in front of Mascarenhas whose rasping right-footer crashed into the net.

A visibly relived Goa coach Mouricio Aphonso said his players stuck to the plan of going all out for full three points.

''We had to win the match or pack our bags and go home. So I instructed the boys to play an all-out game and we were the deserving winner,'' he said.

On the next match against Haryana, Aphonso said, ''My team could not be complacent as they will be playing in front of the home crowd.'' A dejected Bengal coach Prasanta Banerjee blamed the defeat on lack of practice together.

''We did not play as a cohesive unit and could not address the same problem of mispasses. There was also this yawning gap between midfielder and forwards,'' he explained.

UNI PDS AY VV2140