Staff Reporter
Duler
Debutants Clube de Salgaocar capped off a dream campaign in the Goa Professional League (GPL) with a commanding 2–0 win over Geno FC to book their place in the I-League 3. With Sporting Clube de Goa (I-League 2) and Dempo SC (I-League) already placed higher up in the pyramid, CD Salgaocar’s third-place finish means they will now represent Goa in the newly introduced national tier.
It was a performance marked by patience, structure, and moments of individual brilliance — all under the watchful eye of head coach Keenan Almeida, who has overseen a remarkable turnaround in the club’s debut GPL campaign.
After a tense first half with chances falling at both ends, CD Salgaocar broke the deadlock in the 68th minute. A teasing cross from Boinao Singh caused panic in the Geno FC box. The defenders failed to clear, and the ball fell kindly to Saeesh Halarnkar, who made no mistake — slotting in calmly to give his side the lead.
Just ten minutes later, the advantage was doubled. Isac Anpuia was brought down inside the box by Geno’s goalkeeper Savio Pereira, conceding a penalty in what was a moment of poor judgment. Isac stepped up and confidently converted from the spot to seal the result.
