Salgaocar beat Tollygunge

Durand Cup winners Salgaocar continued their winning ways as they carved out a 2-0 win over spirited Tollygunge Agragami in the eighth National Football League match played at Nehru stadium at Margao on Sunday.

Both the goals were scored in the first half through Dharamjit Singh (4th minute) and Fredy Mascarenhas (25th) as Salgaocar took their tally to 16 points from nine matches.

Tollygunge put up a brave fight especially in the second half but lacked the finishing as Akkem Abul Alem wasted open chance. They remained on seven points from nine matches.

Salgaocar started offensive and took the lead early in the fourth minute when hardworking Dharamjit Singh picked the ball few yards outside the box and after beating a rival defender uncorked a right footer that beat keeper Chinmoy Banerjee to find the corner of the net.

The goal propelled Tollygunge to play offensive and Salgaocar, who found space in the rival defence, increased the lead through Fredy Mascarenhas' header off a cross from Felix Ibrebru.

Five minutes later, Felix could have added to the tally but his shot hit the post.

Down by 2-0, Tollygunge did not lose heart instead they kept attacking and nearly reduced the margin few minutes before the interval as keeper Rajat Ghosh Dastidar made a diving save to put the ball out off a shot from Gauranga Dutta off a pass from Akeem.

After the change of ends, Tollygunge was unlucky again  when a shot from Kenneth Onu hit the post off a move initiated between Dutta and Akeem.

Thereafter, both the teams attacked each other's citadel and Salgaocar's defender Bello Rasaq header was tipped over by keeper Banerjee and latter Climax Lawerence shot wide off the target after he was fed by Dharamjit Singh.

Tollygunge matched their rivals evenly and made an allout effort in the closing stage but lacked in the finishing as Akeem wasted open chances twice to let his team down.

Referee A K Ashokan showed yellow card to Tollygunge's Barbar Ebi.