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Goans Revel In Santosh Trophy Triumph
Goa won the 63rd Santosh Trophy last evening by beating West Bengal 4-2 on penalties in the Nehru Stadium, Chennai and no wonder they are revelling in their success...
15-Jun-2009 12:46:15 PM
The western state has never won against Bengal in the finals of the Santosh Trophy and in doing so, they capped off a brilliant tournament in style. What does beating Bengal mean and the Goa Football Association (GFA) secretary, Savio Messias explains:
“It’s a great gift for the people of Goa and a victory against Bengal is the perfect icing on the cake.”
Dempo skipper Climax Lawrence, who played his part by scoring from the spot twice in the tournament, mentioned that now Goa are a dominant force to reckon with in Indian football.
“Goa is doing well in all the major tournaments like the I-League, AFC Cup and now, the Santosh Trophy. It was a great victory against Bengal and I am sure Goan fans would love it,” said Climax.
For Mahesh Gawli, it was his second Santosh Trophy triumph, in three attempts and the player was very pleased with the same.
“It’s a fantastic achievement for us. We had a great team where everyone understood each other, the coach and the manager made it very easy for everyone and it was a friendly environment. The hard work has paid off,” said Gawli.
The man of the moment was Felix D’Souza who kept a clean sheet in the tournament and earned praise from all quarters.
“I believe Felix should have been the Player of the Tournament. He saved two penalties and in the semi-finals, he kept us in the game. Add to that, he didn’t concede a single goal throughout the tournament. I don’t know how he wasn’t given the award,” said Climax.
“Felix was excellent and saving two penalties in the finals was fantastic. He has been great for us in the tournament,” added Gawli.
Meanwhile, a felicitation ceremony is to be organized by the Goa Football Association (GFA) later this evening, according to Messias.
Rahul Bali.
“It’s a great gift for the people of Goa and a victory against Bengal is the perfect icing on the cake.”
Dempo skipper Climax Lawrence, who played his part by scoring from the spot twice in the tournament, mentioned that now Goa are a dominant force to reckon with in Indian football.
“Goa is doing well in all the major tournaments like the I-League, AFC Cup and now, the Santosh Trophy. It was a great victory against Bengal and I am sure Goan fans would love it,” said Climax.
For Mahesh Gawli, it was his second Santosh Trophy triumph, in three attempts and the player was very pleased with the same.
“It’s a fantastic achievement for us. We had a great team where everyone understood each other, the coach and the manager made it very easy for everyone and it was a friendly environment. The hard work has paid off,” said Gawli.
The man of the moment was Felix D’Souza who kept a clean sheet in the tournament and earned praise from all quarters.
“I believe Felix should have been the Player of the Tournament. He saved two penalties and in the semi-finals, he kept us in the game. Add to that, he didn’t concede a single goal throughout the tournament. I don’t know how he wasn’t given the award,” said Climax.
“Felix was excellent and saving two penalties in the finals was fantastic. He has been great for us in the tournament,” added Gawli.
Meanwhile, a felicitation ceremony is to be organized by the Goa Football Association (GFA) later this evening, according to Messias.
Rahul Bali.
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