Panaji: Naocha Singh’s late volley breathed life into Sporting Clube de Goa’s campaign as they edged past MYJ-GMSC 2-1 in I-League 2 at Atal Stadium, Bambolim, on Saturday.Joyson Gaoncar’s early strike gave Sporting a good start in their hunt for three points, which were a must to stay within touching distance of the top two teams. The former I-League regulars, however, were jolted when the goalscorer, Joyson, was sent off in the 33rd minute for a second bookable offence.Sporting stayed compact and soldiered on to carry their lead into the dressing room at the break.At the start of the second half, the teams were level – with players on the field – as MYJ-GMSC’s Tanmay Dayanand was shown the red card for running straight into Dattaraj Gaonkar, just three seconds after the second half kicked off.The sending off left the teams with 10 players on the field. There were plenty of spaces, pushes from both sides, and MYJ-GMSC then equalised through substitute Shravan Shetty in the 65th minute. It was another pivotal moment in the game, but Sporting had the last laugh when Naocha volleyed home the winner from inside the box, with just six minutes left on the clock.It was a terrific strike and came when Sporting were in danger of getting knocked out. It was Sanson Fernandes who laid the foundation for the goal with a perfect cross, and Naocha delighted the home crowd with an acrobatic volley.The goal, and subsequent win, took Sporting to third on the table, just a point behind second-placed United SC, who they lost in the opener at home. Delhi FC lead with 13 points and a game in hand. Sporting’s opponents for the last two rounds are FC Bengaluru United (May 8, away) and FC Bengaluru (May 15, home).The top two teams will qualify for next season’s Indian Football League (IFL), the second tier of Indian football’s club competition.
