
Formidable Goa, asserting their supremacy right through the tourney, clinched the prestigious Santosh Trophy defeating a fighting Maharashtra 3-1 in extra-time in the national football championship here tonight.
The two teams had ended in a deadlock scoring one goal apiece at the regulation time.
Felip Gomes 73rd, Nicholu Rodrigues in the 15th minute of the first extra-time and substitute Joaquim Abranches completed the tally in the ninth minute of the second extra-time for the Goans, while Soccor Velho 72nd found the target for Maharashtra.
In a fitting finale to the tournament, both Goa and Maharashtra enthralled the soccer fans with their pleasing game. Though Goans had slight edge in the exchanges, Maharashtra too matched their famed rivals and on a couple of occasions threatened to forge ahead.
Goans could have won the match by a bigger margin, but for the inaccurate marksmanship of their frontmen Freddy Mascarenhas and Antony Pereira, who had messed up chances from close.