Panaji: Joyson Gauncar struck at the death as Sporting Clube de Goa edged past NEROCA FC 1-0 at the Khuman Lampak Stadium on Friday, sealing a win in their second I-League 2 outing.
With the contest seemingly headed for a stalemate, the substitute produced a moment of brilliance in the 90th minute, rifling a thunderous effort from the left flank beyond Neroca goalkeeper Prateek Kumar Singh to hand the Flaming Oranje all three points. The late strike also marked a strong response from Sporting following their narrow defeat in the opener.
Sporting signalled intent early on, earning a free-kick in the 11th minute after Wahengbam Rohit Meetei brought down Rohan Rodrigues. A well-worked routine saw Alister Anthony tee up Rodrigues, but his goal-bound effort was cleared by the Neroca defence. At the other end, Amarjit Singh tested Avilash Paul from distance in the eighth minute, only for the Sporting custodian to stand firm.
The visitors came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 33rd minute when Anthony raced through on goal, but Singh pulled off a sharp sliding save to keep the scores level. Sporting continued to probe before the break, with Ngangbam Naocha Singh and Rodrigues delivering teasing balls into the box that evaded the finishing touch, while a neat exchange between Rohan and Kunal just before half-time ended with the latter narrowly missing the target.
The second half turned into a gritty midfield battle, punctuated by a flurry of set-pieces as both sides struggled to carve out clear openings. Sporting, however, kept pushing forward, with coach Varela ringing in changes, introducing Vinil Poojary, Sailo, Gauncar, Doyal Alves and Dhiraj in search of a breakthrough.
That decisive moment finally arrived at the death, as Gauncar’s clinical finish capped off a determined away performance, ensuring Sporting walked away with a hard-earned victory.
Meanwhile, United Sports Club defeated GMSC 1-0 at Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai.
United’s all-important goal came in the 58th minute when Singte Kom slotted it home from the spot.
