I-League: Dempo reclaim top postion

Dempo Sports Club scored an emphatic 3-1 win over bottom placed Sporting Clube de Goa to regain the top spot in the 11th round I-League match at the Nehru Stadium, Margao, on Sunday.

Dempo who led 2-1 at half time scored through Clifford Miranda (20th), Joaquim Abranches (29th) and Peter Carvalho (61st).

Sporting pulled one back through Bisheshwar Singh in the 36th minute.

With this win, Dempo move on top of the table with 22 points from 11 matches displacing Mahindra United and Mohun Bagan who have 20 points each.

Meanwhile, Sporting Clube de Goa remained at the bottom with five points from 10 matches.

Sporting, who were looking for their first win failed to combine as a team as their defense looked shaky and conceded a silly goal in the 20th minute.

Defender John Dias made a long lob from the right into the box whose flight Rovan Pereira misjudged, allowing Clifford Miranda to head the ball past the onrushing keeper Luis Barretto into the net.

Sporting pressed the panic bottom with the defense crumbling even at the slightest pressure and could have conceded two more goals but Climax Lawrence failed to score.

Dempo hardly felt the absence of striker Ranty Martin as Joaquim Abranches and Peter Carvalho gave good account of themselves with the latter controlling the midfield admirably.