Salgaocar edge past Churchill, Pune win

Salgaocar Football Club took defending Champions Churchill Brothers Sports Club by surprise with a solitary goal victory in the opening match of the I-League season at the Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Saturday.

Scottish striker Darryl Duffy scored the only goal of the match in the 42nd minute to give coach Derrick Pereira a winning start since returning to the club he excelled as a player. Both teams took quite some time to get into the groove but as the match progressed it were Salgaocar who looked like the more dangerous team. With Darryl Duffy and Frenchman Claude Gnakpa combining well upfront, the Churchill defence never really had a comforting time. Then there was the threat of Francis Fernandes, who had the first real chance of the match in the 12th minute when he played a nice one-two with Duffy only to see his flick sail inches past the post.

Arindam ended up being the villain for Churchill in the 42nd minute after he spilled a regulation collection, allowing Duffy to score Salgaocar’s opening goal from close range. After their recent Durand Cup triumph, Mohammedan Sporting got a reality check when a new-look Pune FC rallied to beat them 3-1 on Saturday.

Spain-born Raul Fabiani (16th and 76th minute) stole the show with a brace and set up another for James Meyer (52nd) to help Pune FC go past Mohammedan Sporting, who were leading with an 11th minute Joshimar d’Silva Martins’ strike.