Mapusa (Goa): Ogba Kalu's first-half strike guided Sporting Clube de Goa to a solitary goal win against Salgaocar to move atop the table in Airtel I-League tie, played at Duler Stadium here today.
Sporting scored the all-important goal in the 23rd minute when a build-up between Arturo Garcia and Karpeh saw the latter releasing the ball to Ogba Kalu who made amends for his earlier lapse beating Karanjit Singh to find the far post.
The win took Sporting Clube de Goa to 18 points from 11 matches, the same as Salgaocar, Pune FC and Bengaluru FC to find themselves at the top of the chart.
Both the teams played attacking games which created a lot of scoring opportunities at both ends.
However, Sporting missed the chance to surge ahead as Boima Karpeh failed to direct his shot on target. Few minutes latter, they were even awarded after Salgaocar keeper Chika Wali pushed down Karpeh inside the box, but Kalu who took the kick saw his shot saved by diving Karanjit Singh.
However, Kalu made amends for his earlier lapse and found the net with a neat placement after he received the ball from Boima Karpeh which came to him via Arturo Garcia.
The goal was the turning point changing the game in Sporting's favour. With their better ball possession, Salgaocar came close in finding equaliser on a few occasions, especially in the second half, but were checked by rival defenders who guarded their citadel.
