Real Betalbatim made it to their first ever major final when they upset United Friends Club 2-0, while in an earlier match Kerala Challengers subdued a strong AVC Sports & Cultural Association 1-0 in the semi finals of the 19th edition of the ongoing G.O.A Rolling Trophy organized by Goan Overseas Association (Goa Maroons) and played at the MOH Grounds in Shuwaikh on 15th February 2013 under the auspices of Kuwait Indian Football Federation.
On a cold morning in a chaotic semi-final, with tampers flying high, and where referee Pascoal had to give marching orders to one players from either side, Kerala challengers scored in the 14th minute of the first half when Fajillu Maveli’s feeble attempt in a goalmouth melee saw the ball rolling in the AVC goal with goalkeeper Alvaro caught off guard and his defenders flatfooted. The second half saw AVC make a number of attempts with Savio, Anthony and Sydney coming close to scoring, but the strong Kerala defence led by Sumesh Valappil and Arun Appukuttan ensured the scored remained 1-0 in their favour. Kerala Challengers also won a few fans when they came back on the field to play out the last five minutes of the game when the referee had accidentally ended the match five minutes before time. The match was officiated by Pascoal and he was assisted by Sharma and Tiago on the lines.
In the second semi-final title favourites United Friends Club suffered a shock defeat when Real Betalbatim fielding a couple of extremely talented youngsters and led by their crafty and experienced defender Theodore Pinto plummeted them into submission 0-2. Real Betalbatim playing tidy soccer with Denzil, Bradley, and Assemcao feeding off each other, scored the first goal in the 10th minute when a UFC defender handled the ball in the penalty area and Bradley Rogtao coolly slotted past a diving Martin Dias in the UFC goal. In the second half, although Jamnas and Hemanth of UFC made a couple of attempts, the Real Betalbatim defence held firm with their keeper pulling of a couple of excellent saves. The second goal that virtually killed off the UFC challenge came in the 15th minute of the second half when an attempt by a Real Betalbatim forward deflected off defender Teotonio into the UFC goal. The referee had to caution as many as six players, three from either side to keep the game from getting out of control. The match was officiated by Julio Cardoso and he was assisted by Sharma and Tiago in the lines.
The final of this prestigious tournament now into its 19th edition between Kerala Challengers and Real Betalbatim will be played on 8th March 2012 at 8:45am.
Julio Cardoso
Kuwait.
