PANAJI
Dempo SC cruised to a 2-1 victory over Churchill Brothers in the Goa Professional League at Ella Ground on Saturday, with Mevan Dias netting a brace.
The match saw an early breakthrough for Dempo, thanks to a long ball from Sairon Albuquerque that was misjudged by Churchill’s defense. Mevan Dias capitalized, calmly finishing into an empty net after a deflection left the ball rolling towards goal. Dempo came close to doubling their lead shortly after, but Dias’ header from an Arnold Oliveira cross narrowly missed the target.
Churchill Brothers had a chance to equalize midway through the first half, but Dempo’s Rahul Rodrigues was alert to snuff out the danger. Dempo extended their lead in the 38th minute with a brilliant move: Dimngel’s pass found Oliveira, who flicked it to Dias, and he made no mistake, tapping it in for his second goal.
Despite a spirited second-half response from Churchill Brothers, Dempo’s defense held strong. In stoppage time, Haokip pulled one back for Churchill after a free-kick from Alent caused confusion in the box. However, Dempo’s defense remained resolute to see out the win and secure all three points.
In another clash at Duler, FC Goa delivered a dominant 3-0 performance over Geno FC. Jovial Dias was the star for FC Goa, scoring a brace, while Shaikh Ismail added a third. The Gaurs were in control throughout the match, with Dias opening the scoring in the first half. Ismail then doubled the advantage before Dias completed his brace, securing a comfortable win for FC Goa.
