Sesa FA stayed in contention for a place among the top three after they defeated Raia Sporting Club 2-0 in a Kingfisher-Goa Pro League clash at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco.
Marcus Mascarenhas, Goa’s Santosh Trophy hero, continued with his goal-scoring ways, scoring both the goals for Sesa. The academy lads now have 18 points in their kitty from 12 matches and leapfrogged to the fourth spot behind Dempo Sports Club (26 points), Sporting Clube de Goa (25 points) and Churchill Brothers (20 points).
With two matches still in hand, Sesa can still finish third, something coach Clifford Chukwuma had targeted at the start of the season.
Marcus, Sesa’s leading goal scorer, was in superb form at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco, but it was Raia Sporting’s poor finish that made even bigger news. Raia finished their engagements with just one point from 14 matches and an inferior goal average of minus 42, the worst by a Professional side in recent times.
The way Raia Sporting started the game, it did not look like the would end up with nothing. The demoted side seemed determined to get some-thing out of the game, made some smart moves, but poor finishing meant their rivals were thrown too many lifelines.
Sesa made Raia pay for their prodigality in the 42nd minute when Marcus got at the right end of Israel Gurung’s cross to leave the rival goal-keeper stranded.
Any chance of a fight back from Raia Sporting was brought to a nought by Terrence Lobo’s sending off in the 51st minute. With a man and a goal down, Raia had little chance of hauling them-selves back into contention and it was made all the more difficult at the fag end of the match when another player -- Samson Fernandes -- was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Marcus then made it look worse than it actually was when he converted substitute Gabriel Fer-nandes’ through ball in the last minute of play.