Dempo Sports Club scored in the last seconds of extra-time to share spoils with FC Goa in the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Elite league at Dempo SC Academy ground in Ella, Old Goa on Friday.
The draw takes FC Goa to the top of the table – one point ahead of Salgaocar FC who has played one game less – and leaves Dempo SC in the third slot with eight points from five games.
FC Goa dominated the first ten minutes of play and it was during this time that a communication gap appeared between the Dempo SC defenders and goalkeeper. The slip up did not fructify into anything concrete until the tenth minute when Dempo goalkeeper Ryan Souza and defender Aryan Sawant failed to read each other and the ball rolled in for the first goal of the evening.
The set back took time to set in and Dempo SC created their first scoring opportunity when the game was fifteen minutes old when Necio Fernandes’ shot was saved by FC Goa keeper Hrithik Tiwari. Dempo SC kept pressing for an equaliser but with their striker Aman Govekar well marshalled, there was little bite into their attack.
FC Goa tried to stun the Dempo defense in the 25th minute when Asfin Pinto capitalised on another defensive lapse of the Dempo defenders to send in a cross from the left. However, Mevan Dias did not manage to control the ball.
Dempo SC created a flutter, a minute before the lemon break, when Aman’s shot hit the FC Goa bar and the rebound was cleared for a corner.
The two teams trooped for the lemon break with FC Goa leading by a goal.
Dempo SC started the second half trying to dictate terms with Aman sometimes looking for an opportunity to striker and at others creating chances for his colleagues. However, the FC Goa rearguard held their ground well, giving the Dempo lads little opportunity to penetrate or flinging themselves at the ball when their tried to shoot from far.
FC Goa tried to soak the pressure and relied on rare counter forays to break the Dempo SC rhythm and they came closest to shake the Dempo confidence in the 82nd minute when Deeshank Kunkalikar had the mortification of seeing his free kick hit the Dempo horizontal.
Dempo SC played the last five minutes inside the FC Goa territory and their efforts bore fruit in the last minutes of extra time when an FC Goa defender handled the ball in the box and referee Mario Pereira pointed to the dreaded spot. Necio did the honours for his team.
| Rank | TEAM | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Goa | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | Salgaocar FC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 9 |
| 3 | Dempo SC | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | Sporting Clube de Goa | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 5 |
| 5 | SESA FA | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 |
