Pax of Nagoa SC and Cortalim SWSC share the spoils in a 1–1 draw

Goa Khabar : Pax of Nagoa Sports Club and Cortalim Social Welfare Sports Club played out an intense 1–1 draw in the Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Sunday.

Nagoa took the lead after the break when Beneston Barretto was brought down by Janio Fernandes on the edge of the box. Mohamed Musharaf stepped up and curled a stunning free-kick past the keeper to make it 1–0. Cortalim hit back soon after through substitute Richie Vaz, who pounced on a loose ball inside the box after Sydney Lucas’ set-piece and Delmon Rebello’s header were parried by the Nagoa goalkeeper. Tensions flared after the final whistle as Cortalim’s Airen Fernandes was shown a straight red card for retaliating against Nagoa’s Vanlalhmangaihmawai.

Cortalim nearly took the lead early on when Airen Fernandes earned a free-kick on the edge of the box after being fouled by a Nagoa defender. Airen’s curling effort was brilliantly tipped away by the Nagoa goalkeeper. Moments later, Sydney Lucas delivered a long ball behind the defence for Ashnoy Gomes, who managed to reach it first but couldn’t bring it under control as the defender cleared the danger.

Cortalim kept pressing, with Pushkar Prabhu threading a pass to Ashnoy on the right flank, whose cross was once again dealt with by Joseph Clement. Nagoa responded through Stephen, who dribbled past his marker and set up Shubert, but his shot was comfortably collected by the Cortalim custodian.

After a goalless first half, Nagoa broke the deadlock through Mohamed Musharaf. A long through ball found Beneston Barretto, who was brought down by Janio Fernandes on the edge of the box. Musharaf stepped up and calmly curled the resulting free-kick into the back of the net to make it 1–0.

Cortalim, however, hit back soon after. Coach Jude Barreto’s decision to introduce Richie Vaz paid immediate dividends. Richie won a free-kick on the left flank, which Sydney Lucas floated towards Delmon Rebello. His header was parried by the Nagoa keeper, and Vaz reacted quickest to slot home the rebound and restore parity.

Both sides pushed for a late winner, but neither could find the breakthrough as the match ended 1–1. Tempers flared after the final whistle, with Cortalim’s Airen Fernandes shown a straight red card for retaliating against Nagoa’s Vanlalhmangaihmawai.