Moga magic leaves Salgaocar mesmerised

MARGAO: Some things just don't change. A leopard doesn't change its spots; Sporting Clube de Goa's defence doesn't stop leaking and its strikers don't stop scoring.
For once, though, Sporting Clube de Goa's defence was not the talking point. Instead, it was all about goals, all about James Moga and all about the resurgence of a club who most, if not all, had written off at the start of the I-League.On Saturday, Moga's sublime hat trick was the highlight of Clube's 4-2 win over a hugely disappointing Salgaocar Sports Club at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Saturday.
At the breather, there was little that separated the two teams. But once ends were changed, Sporting Clube turned the match on its head with two goals in as many minutes just after the hour mark.
The goals, one each by Kalu and Moga - and both admirably from headers - made Salgaocar look worse than they actually were. In the din of those celebrations, backslapping and hugging, almost everyone conveniently forgot that Sporting had conceded two goals for the fourth time in a row and Salgaocar, the defending champions lest we forget , had lost the third of their four games.
"There are problem areas but I cannot fault the players. They are trying as hard as they can. If anything, I accept full responsibility," said Salgaocar coach Karim Bencherifa.
Bencherifa's bravado is understandable, probably even laudable. But it would have not lost on him that Salgaocar shockingly conceded three goals from set-pieces . Against Air India in the last match, it was two.
The start was completely in contrast with the end. Salgaocar found themselves ahead after only three minutes after Rojen Singh - a new face in the defence - caught Ryuji Sueoka's legs instead of the ball inside the danger zone. Sueoka picked himself up and then converted from the spot to give his team a dream lead.
The lead soon turned into a nightmare as Moga curled a free-kick past a distracted goalkeeper Karanjit Singh and then, dodging a throw-in from Freiman Peixoto, celebrated again with a pile-driver that deflected off captain Luciano Sobrosa into his own goal. No team had the bragging rights at half-time as Edeh Chidi had just scored from a goalmouth melee - and a rare mistake from the dependable Keita Boubacar - but the match turned inexplicably just after the hour mark.
Nobody sensed any danger when Joseph Pereira took a free-kick from just outside the box on the left but Kalu took everyone by surprise with a diving header. And a minute later it was all over as Victorino Fernandes and Kalu combined in a swift counter and Moga finished with a trademark header.