Rebello’s Last-Gasp Header settles a hard-fought victory in Salgaocar’s favour

Goa Khabar : Ninety-four minutes. Ninety-four minutes of tension and then just when the whistle seemed inevitable and a goalless draw beckoned, Clube De Salgaocar tore up the script entirely. This was a match that demanded patience from every soul inside the ground. The reward, when it finally came, was worth every second of the wait. They climb back to the top of the table with 38 points.

The first half offered little in the way of goals but plenty in the way of intent. Clube De Salgaocar arrived as the more assertive side in attack pressing and probing from the first whistle fashioning chances that their quality suggested they should have converted. Yet Geno FC’s defensive structure held compact denying Salgaocar the breakthrough their possession deserved. The half-time whistle brought a stalemate .

The second period picked up precisely where the first had left off Salgaocar dominant with the ball, Geno resolute without it. Chance after chance was constructed by the men in red and chance after chance was repelled by a Geno FC defence that refused to yield. 

On 73 minutes, Clube De Salgaocar pressed once more from a corner and it was Geno FC goalkeeper Crysler Afonso who stood tall at the critical moment. The save was crucial the kind that preserves a point, that keeps a team in a contest, that buys a team the right to keep believing. Afonso had been impeccable and at 73 minutes, he was keeping his side’s slim hopes alive with both hands

The final ten minutes crackled with a nervous energy that only this kind of match can generate. Two yellow cards one to each side were the symptoms of a contest stretched to its emotional limits. On 80 minutes, Sarineo Fernandes of Geno received his booking for a foul on Pratesh Shirodkar. Six minutes later, having found himself on the receiving end earlier in the half, it was Shirodkar who saw yellow for pushing Gautam Dias. The referee was barely keeping the lid on proceedings.

Five minutes of added time were signalled. Both sides threw caution to the wind Geno FC seeking the goal that would give them something to show for their magnificent defensive effort, Salgaocar pushing for the winner their performance had merited since the first whistle. The ground held its breath the clock ticked and then the cross from Tipanna Bhavikatti was of the kind that defenders dread: height and delivery combined with unerring precision. Denil Rebello had read the ball early arrived at exactly the right moment and his header did everything it needed to. The net rippled the Salgaocar bench erupted. Ninety-four minutes and a handful of seconds and it was all over.