DSK Shivajians continued its winning run with a stellar 3-1 victory against Sporting Clube de Goa at the Balewadi Sports Complex stadium tonight. Douhou Pierre recorded a brace while Asier Pierrick Dipanda scored the other goal for the Shivajians.
Playing with a 4-1-4-1 formation, Sporting Clube de Goa looked happy to sit back and thwart Shivajians’ early threats. DSK on the other hand, stuck to its winning formula, playing the same team that secured a 2-0 victory against East Bengal last Sunday.
In the 14th minute, DSK Shivajians drew the first blood when it talismanic striker Aser Pierric Dipanda headed the ball past Sporting goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya. Sena Ralte switched flanks from left to right for a free-kick and it was his delivery that was converted by the Cameroonian.
The Pune boys shifted gear after the strike and started to play with more vigour in the attacking third. They doubled the lead in the 20th minute as Ivorian attacker Douhou Pierre rattled the back of the net. However, credit goes to Dipanda, who played an incisive lobbed pass to his Ivorian attacking partner to set up the goal.
It seemed the men from Pune were on a different level altogether as they added a third in the 27th minute. Douhou Pierre dribbled past two defenders before finding himself in a comfortable space to knock the ball home, leaving keeper Bhattacharya aghast.
Juan Quero’s 34th-minute corner was headed in by Douhou Pierre, but it was disallowed as a foul had been made on an opposition player inside the 18-yard area. The job was all but almost done by DSK Shivajians at the end of the first 45 minutes.
After an entertaining first 45 minutes of play, the teams were back onto the field, expecting to maintain the intensity. However, DSK Shivajians set up with a defensive frame of mind, sitting deep and waiting for the likes of Victorino and co. to attack its goal. At the heart of the backline, Sandesh Jhingan, and Zohmingliana Ralte soaked in the pressure with astute proficiency.
Finally, Subrata Paul was beaten by the Oranje when U-22 sensation Subashish Bose found the back of the net from a loopy corner. It was still a mountain to climb as it needed two more goals against a resolute DSK defence.
With this win, DSK Shivajians’ tally rise to 12 points, on par with Salgaocar FC and Mumbai FC, only two points shy of Sporting Clube de Goa which still holds the fourth spot in the Hero I-League standing.
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