New Delhi: Dempo SC continued their good form from the last game against Chirag United as they outclassed Mohammedan Sporting in their own den in a ninth round I-League clash.
The defending champions never allowed Mohammedan Sporting to come into the game and made their intentions clear from the very first minute. Midfielder Beto’s shot from 20 yards hit the crossbar after Mohammedan custodian Tharangachan got his hand to it.
The Goan side settled into the game early and were at ease after a couple of shots. It didn’t long for them to break the Mohammedan citadel as Anthony Pereira’s scorching shot from inside the box zoomed into the net.
This was after left back Samir Naik’s cross was punched weakly by Tharangachan to find the Dempo number 14 who slotted it into the desired target.
Thereafter, Dempo continued to apply pressure and Thrangachan pulled off two saves when he stopped a Joaquim and Ranti shot from inside the box.
The home side’s best chance came in the 37th minute when Gurpreet Singh’s left footer was punched over the bar by an alert Sathish Kumar.
Three minutes later, Dempo made them pay the price for not taking their opportunities as they took a two goal lead. Ranti Martins, who scored two in his last game, added another t his name and has now scored five in the league.
A deflected Joaquim Abranches’ shot was saved by Tharangachan and the rebound fell as far as Ranti who took his position to unleash a fierce shot.
Mohammedan started the second session with veteran goalkeeper Naseem Akhtar instead of Tharangachan who looked half his usual self.
Dempo continued to have a lion’s share of possession while Mohammedan lacked coordination at the back. However, the Kolkata side did manage to get a good chance in 66th minute but wasted it as the earlier one.
Jothi Kumar hit it wide from inside the box after goalkeeper Sathish Kumar came out to defend against Adebayo.
Dempo skipper Climax Lawrence could have added the third but his shot went off the target after being laid out by Anthony Pereira.
In the injury time, Anthony Pereira missed a one-on-one chance as substitute custodian Naseem Akhtar saved Mohammedan from further misery at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Mohammedan Sporting sorely missed their two foreigners – Mike Okoro and Theodore Sunday and need to up their quality if they expect to gain some points in their next home game against Churchill Brothers SC.
Dempo are back in business as they now have 14 points and back into the top half of the table. With the current form, it would be hard to stop Dempo from making further progress.
For the records, Dempo’s Climax Lawrence was awarded the Man of the Match award.
Final Score: 2-0
Goalscorers Dempo SC: Anthony Pereira (9th min) and Ranti Martins (40th min)
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