Staff Reporter
Nagoa
Goa Police and Cortalim Villagers played out a 1-1 draw in the Goa Professional League Super League at Nagoa Panchayat ground on Monday.
Goa Police opened the scoring after Mayuresh Naik set up Abdul Khan, whose low cross was initially parried by the Cortalim keeper before Shubham Shirwaikar pounced on the rebound to slot it home. Cortalim hit back through Ronil Azavedo, who latched onto a precise through ball from Sydney Lucas, dribbled into the box, and calmly finished into the bottom corner.
Goa Police came close to an early breakthrough when Mayuresh Naik intercepted a loose pass in midfield and slipped a perfectly weighted through ball to Kunal Salgaonkar. Kunal took a deft touch before unleashing a powerful strike, but the Cortalim goalkeeper was equal to the task, producing a sharp save before a defender swept it clear under pressure.
Goa Police finally broke the deadlock after Mayuresh Naik threaded a precise through ball to Abdul Khan, who made a surging run into the box before whipping in a low cross into the six-yard area. The Cortalim goalkeeper managed to get a hand to it once again, but this time Shubham Shirwaikar reacted quickest, lunging in with a high boot to smash home the rebound and put his side ahead.
Cortalim regrouped well after conceding and found the equaliser through Ronil Azavedo. Sydney Lucas sliced open the Goa Police defence with a perfectly timed through ball from midfield, finding Ronil in stride. The forward took a composed touch, weaved into the box, and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to level the score.
