MARGAO
Kenkre FC upset Dempo Sports Club 2-0 in the I League 2 match, at Ella ground, Old Goa, on Thursday.
Kenkre FC led 2-0 at the half time. Defender Pawan Venkatrathnam Pattem and midfielder and captain Raul Almeida scored in the first half to guide them to their second win.
The result was a stunning upset for Dempo. Kenkre FC had scored a first win when the two teams met in the I-league. Pawan was once again the tormentor-in-chief with his nimble footwork while Aman Gaikwad tireless running also bore fruit.
Host Dempo started the game on an attacking note but faded away as the match progressed. They had the best opportunity when midfielder Ariston Costa fumbled at crucial moments inside the Kenkre FC penalty area.
At the other end, Subha Ghosh nearly opened the scoring for Kenkre FC when Azfar Noorani sent a cross into the box but the midfielder's shot deflected the rival defenders and came off the wall to give Dempo a reprieve.
However, Kenkre's Raul Almeida finally found the breakthrough when defender Pawan Pattiei intercepted a through pass in midfield and Pawan with a defence-splitting pass chipped the ball over the keeper to break the deadlock in the 14th minute. Captain Raul Almeidahad been the busiest player on the pitch and he picked his moment to shine when he made a solo run past a static defence and curled his effort past the keeper to send the Kenkre bench in the arena into raptures in the 33rd minute
Post resumption , Dempo made a slew of substitutions but yielded no results. The Golden Eagles were off guard with their forwards hardly tested the Kenkre FC goalkeeper. Kenkre FC missed several golden opportunities to score in front of Dempo penalty box.
Dempo head coach Samir Naik did not hesitate to express disappointment following the defeat.
Dempo coach Samir Naik had no answer to Kenkre's press and fluid attacks as he watched his team exit the tournament without a single shot on target.
Dempo had made a habit of scoring late goals in the tournament but there was no comeback this time as Kenkre FC kept them at bay.
The victory, their second in a row, consolidated Kenkre FC with 6 points from five matches while Dempo suffered a second defeat from 4 matches and have 4 points.
