Vasco beat Salgaocar to move to second place

Vasco Sports Club survived several anxious moments in the second half but their defence held on doggedly to enable them beat Salgaocar by a solitary goal and move to second place in the National Football League.

In a battle between Goa teams, at the Nehru stadium in Margao, Goa, on Thursday, Vasco held the upper hand in the last ten minutes of the first half, when they scored the all-important goal in the 40th minute through defender Denzil Coutinho.

Following a free-kick, Marcos Pereira, from the left, floated the ball to Rui Wanderley Weis, who chested the ball back to Marcos inside the box. The latter's shot at the goal hit the crossbar and deflected to Coutinho, who headed into the net.

Three minutes later, Vasco could have increased the lead when a header from Rui Wanderley was parried to safety by Salgaocar 'keeper Kalyan Chaubey.

Salgaocar, who dominated the entire second half as also a better part of the first half, had a glorious chance to equalise three minutes before the interval but the off-colour Sunday Seah failed to captilise on a chance when he was unmarked inside the box. Instead of taking a first time shot, he tried to beat a defender and was dispossed by Coutinho.

Vasco now join Mohun Bagan at the top of the table with 15 points from seven matches but are placed second due to inferior goal diference.

Salgaocar, who suffered their second defeat, remained on 12 points.

Referee Walter Pereira showed yellow cards to Vasco's Seby Dias and Peter Rodrigues, and Salgaocar's Alvito D'Cunha.

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