Vasco: I-League table toppers Minerva Punjab’s unbeaten five-match run came to an end when Churchill Brothers beat them 2-1 in a closely-contested match here Friday.
Churchill scored through Mechac Koffi (16th) and Wayne Vaz (45th) while Kassim Aidara scored the lone goal for Minerva in the 57th minute.
Minerva Punjab created lot of chances in the second half but their Bhutanese winger Chencho Gyeltshen, who troubled the home team defence with his menacing run down the flank, wasted a penalty in the 61st minute which proved costly for the visiting side.
The win took Churchill Brothers to seventh place with 13 points from 11 matches. Despite the loss, Minerva Punjab remained on top of the table with 26 points from 12 matches.
The visitors were denied a second penalty after defender Osagie Monday brought down Minerva’s William Opoku inside the box with two-footed sliding tackle but the referee overlooked the incident.
Churchill took the lead in 16th minute from a penalty after Minerva defender Sukhdev Singh needlessly pulled down Dawda Ceesay inside the box and referee Akash Jackson Routh had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Koffi converted the chance with aplomb.
Churchill got the second goal from a counter. Ceesay laid a pass for Vaz who floated a ball towards the Minerva goal. However, the ball dipped suddenly and entered the goal catching the Minerva goalkeeper on the wrong foot.
Minerva who showed a lot of urgency after the break, pulled one back after Chencho floated the ball into the Churchill box for Aidara to slot home.
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