Sporting Clube de Goa secured their first point of the I-League 2 following their 1-1 draw against CNFC (Chanmari FC) at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl on Friday.
Doyal Alves put Sporting Clube de Goa ahead in the 16th minute after converting the spot-kick, while Vincent Lalduhawma from CNFC leveled terms in the 39th minute. Sporting Clube de Goa move to one point while CNFC stand at seven points in the league.
Sporting lined up with Nitish Mehra in goal, supported by defenders Myron Fernandes, Joel Colaco, and Sairuat Kima. The midfield saw Biswa Darjee, Selwyn Miranda, Ivon Costa, Dattaraj Gaonkar, Sushil Meitei and Naocha Singh dictating play while Doyal Alves led the attack. The substitutes’ bench featured Siddharth (GK), Kunal, Joyner, Rohan, Lalremruata, Samuel, Joyson G, Vikram, Semboi and Dhiraj.
The second half of the match saw both teams unable to break the deadlock, despite Sporting Clube de Goa controlling possession early on and generating several promising attacking opportunities. CNFC, reduced to 10 men following Lalrokima’s red card in the 20th minute, were put under pressure, but Sporting was unable to capitalise on the numerical advantage.
The flaming Oranje displayed strong attacking play and created some excellent goal-scoring chances, but could not convert. Both sides continued to push forward, determined to secure the lead, but the match ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw, with the points shared.
In the 2023–24 I-League 2 season, Sporting Clube de Goa finished in fifth place. The club also celebrated securing their seventh Goa Professional League title in May last year. Sporting’s next challenge will see them face KLSA at the Bambolim Stadium, playing on home turf.
