Bengaluru, April 19- In a closely contested match, Sporting Clube de Goa fought back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw against FC Bengaluru United at the Dravid Padukone Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Despite early efforts from Doyal and Samuel, Sporting found themselves trailing at halftime after an FC Bengaluru United player capitalized on a defensive gap to net the opener. The first half saw Sporting pushing forward with intent, but the final ball often lacked the finishing touch.
Sporting lined up with Siddarth Rana in goal, supported by defenders Kunal Kundaikar, Sairuat Kima, Joyner Lourenco and Biswa Darjee. The midfield saw Samuel Costa, Naocha Singh, Sushil Meitei and Dattaraj Gaonkar dictating play while Doyal Alves and Semboi Haokip led the attack. The substitutes’ bench featured Abhimanyu (GK), Givson, Joel, Joyson G, Rohan, Ivon, Vikram and Myron
The second half saw Sporting Clube de Goa pressing for an equalizer. In the 52nd minute, Semboi delivered a dangerous cross from the far post, but no Sporting player was positioned to convert. Just a minute later, Sporting’s goalkeeper pulled off a crucial save to deny FCBU a second goal.
Attacking forward Semboi remained central to the action, earning a free kick in the 54th minute, though his effort didn’t trouble the scoreboard. The breakthrough for Sporting finally came in the 70th minute, when Semboi’s relentless pressure inside the box drew a foul, winning the visiting team a penalty. Doyal stepped up and calmly slotted it home, leveling the match at 1-1.
Despite several late pushes from both sides, neither team could find a winner, and the game ended all square.
Sporting Clube de Goa moved to 26 points from 15 matches, while FCBU moved to 22 points from 15 matches.
Sporting Clube de Goa will next be seen in action against SAT Goa at Bambolim Stadium.
