Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO:
In a contest that brimmed with drama, determination, and the cruel twists that football often serves, Betalbatim Sports Club emerged victorious against CAC Cansaulim in a heart-stopping clash at the 23rd Fr Basilio Andrade Memorial Tournament. On a sun-dappled afternoon at Musson Ground, Majorda, two teams locked horns, and after the feisty battle and a staggering 22-penalty shootout, Betalbatim, by the finest of margins, found themselves marching into the quarter-finals.
Asley Fernandes, with all the intent of a gunslinger, tried his luck from range, but the Cansaulim keeper stood unshaken. Moments later, Dylan Fernandes’ towering header from a Keith Rodrigues cross seemed destined for the net, but again, the Cansaulim shot-stopper intervened, palming it away for a corner that yielded little more than frustration.
Though Betalbatim pressed, it was not half dominated by any one side. Cansaulim, to their credit, had flickers of brilliance, but they too could not truly trouble Betalbatim’s steadfast guardian, Shawn Bandekar. The scoreline, though riddled with moments of hope and half-chances, remained goalless as the first half faded like a fading sunset—full of promise, yet unfulfilled.
It was after the break, however, that the script turned. Cansaulim, reinvigorated, came out with renewed purpose, looking every bit the more dangerous of the two sides. Early in the second half, Jesus D’Sa’s left-footed effort whizzed past the far post, sending ripples of excitement through the crowd. Then, in a moment of pure instinct, Shawn Bandekar denied Slavin DeMello in a one-on-one situation.
Against the run of play, Betalbatim struck. It was a goal born of sheer tenacity, a moment of brilliance amid the chaos. Dylan Fernandes, weaved past a pair of Cansaulim defenders, slipping a perfectly weighted ball through to Keith Rodrigues. With ice in his veins, Keith rounded the Cansaulim keeper with a calm aplomb and slotted the ball home. Betalbatim erupted in jubilation, seemingly on the verge of victory.
In the dying embers of the game, with the seconds ticking away, Cansaulim was awarded a free-kick just inside the Betalbatim half. Up stepped Elvino Fernandes, his strike was fierce, it cannoned off the Betalbatim keeper, who appeared to have misjudged the flight, and in a split second, the ball nestled into the back of the net. Betalbatim’s heart sank; Cansaulim’s soared. Penalty shoot-out loomed.
And so it came to the ultimate test of nerve: the penalty shootout. Kick after kick, heart in mouth, neither side gave an inch. 22 spot-kicks, 22 stories of tension, pressure, and drama. Cansaulim had their chances to close the game out, but at the most pivotal moments, their aim wavered. Betalbatim, with a steadier hand, managed to edge ahead by the slimmest of margins 9-8, claiming victory as the Cansaulim players sank to the ground in defeat.
