Sporting Clube de Goa returned on home soil, securing a 2-1 victory over MYJ-GMSC at the Bambolim Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Despite a tense encounter that saw both sides reduced to ten men, a late clinical finish from Naocha Singh ensured the Flaming Oranje captured all three points in a high-stakes I-League 2 clash.
The hosts found the breakthrough early in the 9th minute. After initial long-range efforts from Doyal Alves and Dattaraj Gaonkar sailed over the crossbar, Joyson Gaoncar capitalized on space on the left flank to slot home his second goal of the campaign, giving Sporting a 1-0 lead.
The match took a turn as the first half progressed. MYJ-GMSC pressured for an equalizer through a Kean Lewis free-kick, but the delivery was effectively repelled by a crowded Sporting defense in the 22nd minute.
Shortly after, the hosts were reduced to ten men when goal-scorer Joyson was shown a red card. The dismissal followed an unfortunate aerial collision; as Joyson attempted to control a ball directed toward him, he caught MYJ-GMSC’s Aashish Lalge, who was moving into his blind side.
The second half began with tactical shifts from both sides. The numerical disadvantage for the hosts was neutralized when MYJ-GMSC’s Tanmay Dayanand was dismissed for a foul on Dattaraj Gaonkar. However, MYJ-GMSC managed to find an equalizer in the 64th minute.
Capitalizing on a corner from the right, Kean Lewis found substitute Shravan Shetty, who headed the ball past the keeper to level the score at 1-1.
Sporting regained their composure in the closing stages. In the 39th minute of play, Doyal Alves had nearly restored the lead with a set-piece effort from just outside the area, but his strike narrowly missed the target. The pressure finally paid off in the 85th minute when Naocha Singh found a pocket of space on the right side. Delivering a clinical finish, Naocha restored Sporting’s lead and while MYJ-GMSC pushed for a late response, the Sporting defense remained disciplined to see out the victory.
Sporting Clube de Goa will next be seen in action on May 8, as they travel to face FC Bengaluru United at the CSE Arena. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
