VASCO, May 12: Dempo Sports Club ended their I-League campaign on a winning note as they struck late to defeat Salgaocar Football Club 2-1 in the concluding match at Tilak Maidan, Vasco, on Sunday (May 12). The win was Dempo's first in ten matches.
With virtually nothing at stake, except pride, Dempo and Salgaocar surprisingly fielded strong sides but could not really put up a strong performance.
Nigerian striker Gabriel Obatola opened the account for Salgaocar in the 15th minute but Japanese striker Ryuji Sueoka equalized for Dempo after he converted a spot kick in the 20th minute and then Anthony Pereira struck the winner in the last minute of play.
Salgaocar started positively and it surprised nobody that they surged ahead inside the first fifteen minutes. Josimar Martins slipped a through ball for Gabriel Obatola and the Nigerian striker did well to control the ball and finish off from an acute angle past Dempo goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury.
Dempo struck back five minutes later as Sueoka won a penalty after he was brought down by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh inside the danger zone. Sueoka himself converted with ease to level scores.
In the second session, Dempo had a chance to go ahead after captain Clifford Miranda found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but Karanjit came up with a smart save. A minute later, Augustine Fernandes came up with a goal-line save to deny Koko Sakibo.
At the other end, Salgaocar had a chance to take the lead for the second time but Josimar failed to turn a nice cross from Rosario Mendes into the goal.
Just when it seemed like the match was headed for an insipid draw, Dempo struck with a good counter as Sueoka found Anthony Pereira at the far end and the Dempo midfielder made no mistake from close range.
Dempo finished their engagements with 40 points and finished in the fifth spot while Salgaocar (33 points) had to settle for the seventh position.
With virtually nothing at stake, except pride, Dempo and Salgaocar surprisingly fielded strong sides but could not really put up a strong performance.
Nigerian striker Gabriel Obatola opened the account for Salgaocar in the 15th minute but Japanese striker Ryuji Sueoka equalized for Dempo after he converted a spot kick in the 20th minute and then Anthony Pereira struck the winner in the last minute of play.
Salgaocar started positively and it surprised nobody that they surged ahead inside the first fifteen minutes. Josimar Martins slipped a through ball for Gabriel Obatola and the Nigerian striker did well to control the ball and finish off from an acute angle past Dempo goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury.
Dempo struck back five minutes later as Sueoka won a penalty after he was brought down by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh inside the danger zone. Sueoka himself converted with ease to level scores.
In the second session, Dempo had a chance to go ahead after captain Clifford Miranda found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but Karanjit came up with a smart save. A minute later, Augustine Fernandes came up with a goal-line save to deny Koko Sakibo.
At the other end, Salgaocar had a chance to take the lead for the second time but Josimar failed to turn a nice cross from Rosario Mendes into the goal.
Just when it seemed like the match was headed for an insipid draw, Dempo struck with a good counter as Sueoka found Anthony Pereira at the far end and the Dempo midfielder made no mistake from close range.
Dempo finished their engagements with 40 points and finished in the fifth spot while Salgaocar (33 points) had to settle for the seventh position.
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