Margao: Sandesh Gadkari scored twice as Air India rallied from a goal behind to beat Sporting Clube de Goa 3-1 in a round nine I-League clash at the Nehru stadium, Fatorda here on Wednesday.
Gadkari neutralised the home side's eighth minute opener scored by James Moga with a 34th minute strike, and scored another in the 85th minute. Ezeh Henry's 90th minute goal sealed the win for the visitors, who have moved to the sixth place in the points table.
Air India coach Santosh Kashyap played Rahul Bhekre and Sandesh Gadkari in the front with Manandeep on the right wing, while Collin Abranches ran down the left.
The airmen made the first move early in the first minute when Rahul Bhekre who ran down the left flank and sent a deep cross into the box where Sandesh failed to direct his header on target.
However, they began to lose the ball in the midfield often which helped the hosts to penetrate into their box and earn a freekick on the left just outside the box after James Moga was brought down by defender Lamine Tamba.
Freiman Peixoto floated the ball into the box and the tall James Moga headed powerfully where keeper Pawan Kumar failed to collect it as the ball spilled from his hands and rolled into the goal in the 8th minute.
Sporting made inroads into the rival goal often and Moga had a good chance to swell the lead in the 12th minute but he shot out off a Rowilson Borges pass. Jovel Martins, who made his presence felt on the left flank, came close to scoring twice but the rival custodian made some good saves.
Air India, who relied on counter moves found the equalizer in the 34th minute, when Gadkari made amends for his earlier lapse by heading home a well directed cross from Manandeep to have both the teams 1-1 at half time.
Air India coach Kashyap made a change early in the second half bringing in Ezeh Nna Henry in place of Manandeep and the move paid off as the visitors looked a much better side and probed the rival half with more ease.
Sporting defenders had a tough time to ward off the danger in the absence of their captain Samananda Singh until their citadel fell in the 85th minute when a cross from Ezeh Henry beat the rival defence and Gadkari tapped in with his right foot to find the net.
Ezeh Henry then made the issue safe for the Airmen when he capped a pass from substitute Muhmammed Shafi and ran solo as he sliced between two defenders S Rojen Singh and Rovan Pereira before despatching the ball to the left of keeper Gerard D'Mello to give Air India full points.
Air India have now moved to sixth place with 13 points from nine matches, displacing Sporting Clube de Goa who remained on 12 points from as many matches.
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