Dempo ensure Churchill remain winless

Dempo Sports Club and Churchill Brothers Sports Club, two of Goa’s most successful clubs in recent years, clashed on Wednesday and it was the Azuri who emerged victorious by a 1-0 margin in the 9th round match of the Airtel I-League played at  Duler Stadium here.

A solitary first half strike from Jeje Lalpekhlua condemned the Red Machines to yet another defeat and saw Dempo snatch full points.

With just their second victory, Dempo climbed to 8th place with 10 points while Churchill’s woeful run continued and the defending champions now shockingly find themselves in the 12th position with just 3 points from 8 matches.

With both teams struggling to find their footing in the ongoing campaign, the respective coaches saw the fixture as a platform to gain some ground and momentum.

Dempo coach Arthur Papas made a bold move and started with two of his U-23 players Jeje Lalpekhlua who came in place of Irishman Billy Mehmet, while Romeo Fernandes occupied the wide position.

Under pressure coach Mariano Dias fielded his strongest eleven with Portuguese and Gabonese acquisitions Hugo Machado and Henri Arnaud respectively leading the attack.

Right from the onset the red machines looked shaky and uneasy in every department and Dempo almost took advantage of it, when in the 11th minute Debabrata Roy whipped in a dangerous cross from the right flank and Jeje met it with a powerful header which looked destined for the back of the net but Churchill custodian Arindam Bhattacharya rescued his side with a spectacular save.

At the other end, Churchill started to get a grip on the game and showed what they’re capable of when Bineesh Balan and Henri Arnaud exchanged quick passes but Bineesh’s left footed belter sailed marginally wide of the top corner.

In the 15th minute came the breakthrough and it seemed all too easy for Dempo as Jeje found himself through on goal after he played an intelligent wall pass with the Brazilian maestro Roberto Silva and had all the time in the world to drive the ball into the nylons.

The red machine could have struck back almost immediately when Henri had his sights on goal from a promising position and instead of shooting he tried to set up Hugo but Peter Carvalho read his intentions and intercepted the pass to deny Hugo a shot at goal.

The tempo died down as the game progressed as Dempo decided to retain ball possession rather than press forward. But in the 28th minute a blistering counter-attacking move initiated by Romeo Fernandes saw Jeje tee up captain Clifford Miranda but his pile driver was blocked at the first post by the keeper.

Churchill’s best attempt came minutes before the half time whistle. Binnesh skipped past his marker and fired a thunderous effort at goal but Subhasish Roy Chowdhury matched it with an equally spectacular save to keep his side in the lead going into the dressing rooms.

The breather must have definitely come as a relief for the red machines and it was a half to forget as the outfit disappointed in every aspect of the game. Their play was lethargic and they gave away possession cheaply with several misplaced passes. 

Dempo on the other hand did not produce a vintage performance, but they did what was required to keep their opponents at bay. After resumption Churchill did not improve in any way and their attack spearheaded by Henri was blunt.

Dempo’s striker Jeje however made quite a statement for a starting eleven berth as he displayed a contrasting and lively performance as compared to his counterpart.

Jeje and Roberto showcased brilliant link-up play and worked in tandem and caused the Churchill backline all sorts of problems throughout the evening.

And after being set up by Roberto and failing to find the net on two occasions Jeje attempted to return the favour as he sent in a delicious ball to the far post and by his high standard Roberto should have sealed the victory but he shockingly volleyed wide of the target.

Dempo’s Clifford Miranda received the most valuable player award of Rs 5000 at the hand of Aliro Lobo, GFA’s Executive Committee member.