A 2-1 victory kept Dempo in contention for the National Football League title.
Round up of the I League matches being played in various parts of the country.
Dempo continued their unbeaten run to remain on top of the table in the eighth National Football League.
India Inc seems to have regained its appetite for mergers and acquisitions. In the second-largest acquisition in India's iron ore industry, Sesa Goa, a subsidiary of London-listed Vedanta Resources, on Thursday acquired Goa-based Dempo group's mining and maritime businesses for Rs 1,750 crore in an all-cash deal.
A goalless draw with Churchill Brothers in a 11th round match in the National Football League saw them finsh with 22 points, one more than East Bengal.
Down by three goals, Dempo fought back superbly through Mboyo Iyomi's hat-trick, the second of the league, to hold Churchill Brothers to an exciting 3-3 draw in an ONGC I-League match at the Nehru stadium, in Margao, Goa, on Wednesday. Churchill Brothers, who played aggressively in the first half, scored through Felix Chimaokwu (14th, 20th minutes) and Okolie Odafa (32nd). Dempo fought back in the last quarter of the first half and equalised through goal from Iyomi.
English striker Rohan Ricketts has been signed for the I-League Champion, Dempo SC for the 2012-13 season.
Dempo Sports Club began their season with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Air India while defending champions Mahindra United were held to a goalless draw by new I-League entrants Lajong FC in the 122nd ONGC Durand Cup football tournament in Delhi on Monday.
HAL defied form and name to upset former champions Dempo 4-2 to move out of the I-League's relegation zone and stay afloat for the next season.
Dempo lead the league standings with 21 points from 10 matches.
A 3-2 victory kept the IFA Shield winners on top of the National Football League.
Dempo FC kept their unbeaten run intact, scoring once in each half to beat Salgaocar FC 2-0 and enter the final of the 36th Hero Federation Cup football tournament in Margao, Goa, on Friday. Dominating the match in both sessions, they scored through Francis Fernandes(11th minute) and Tolgay Ozbey(59th), and could have won by bigger margin had rival 'keeper Subrata Paul not effected three brilliant saves.
Their three-goal lead did not seem enough but Dempo survived an Al Faisaly onslaught for an impressive 4-3 victory in the AFC Cup football tournament at the Amman International Stadium.
The victory took Dempo to the second place in the National Football League
I-League champions Dempo Sports Club began their AFC Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Yemen's Al Tilal in Pune on Tuesday. Dempo scored through Brazilian midfielder Roberto Mendes Silva (53rd minute) and Nigerian striker Ranti Martins Soleye (67th minute), while Al Tilal striker Tafese Tesfaye pulled one back in the 75th minute of the Group A encounter.
Dempo conceded a last-minute goal against Al Muharraq of Bahrain and missed out on a chance to set one foot into the last 16 stage of the AFC Cup Group E football tournament, at the Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Tuesday. Substitute Madhkoor headed home a well-directed cross by Leandson in the 90th minute to give Al Muharraq their first win and hand the hosts their first defeat.
Dempo Sports Club beat Churchill Brothers 2-0 to score their third successive victory in the ONGC I-League at the Nehru stadium in Margao on Tuesday. JCT and Mahindra United were involved in a goalless draw in another match in Ludhiana.
Clinton D'Souza's goal gave them a 1-0 victory over Churchill Brothers in the under-19 NFL.
Mohun Bagan squandered their lead in the last 13 minutes to settle for a 2-2 draw against leaders Dempo, something that shattered their I-League hopes after the 22nd round fixture at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday.
Nigerian Ranti Martins scored three goals to help beat Sporting Clube-de-Goa in the 12th round of the ONGC I-League tournament on Sunday.
Dempo Sports Club and Salgaocar SC did everything except score in goalless but entertaining Goa derby in the 17th round I-League encounter at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Sunday.
East Bengal's chance to stay in contention for the title race ended after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Dempo FC in the 25th round of the I-League played at Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Saturday.
After showing only promise in their last couple of games, ONGC caused the season's biggest upset, bringing champions Dempo down to earth with a 3-1 victory in a sixth round I-League match at the Ambedkar stadium, in Delhi, on Friday.
With just two rounds left in the ONGC I-League football championship Goan teams Dempo Sports Club and Churchill Brothers promise an interesting finish, though the former holds the edge to lift the title. Tied with Churchill on 32 points, but leading the table by virtue of a better goal difference, Dempo have a good chance of emerging champions as they take on lowly Salgaocar and Viva Kerala in their last two engagements.
The newly-crowned NFL champions said the weather and ground conditions in Gurgaon are not conducive.
Defending champions Dempo will be looking to garner full points when they take on Churchill Brothers in the opening match of the I-League at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on Saturday.
Dempo paid for their profligacy with an own goal by their captain to go down 2-3 to Sur Club of Oman in the AFC Cup Group A thriller at Nizwa. The I-League champions, who beat Lebanese powerhouse Al Ansar in their opening pool match, wasted a couple of clear chances and conceded an own goal by star playmaker Climax Lawrence.
Dempo Sports Club exploited the shaky rival defence scoring a 3-1 win over Lebanon's Al Ansar in the opening group match of the AFC Cup at the Nehru Stadium in Margao on Tuesday.
A Chidi Edeh strike against the run of play was enough for Goa's Dempo Sports Club to claim their maiden Super Cup title as they beat Kolkata's East Bengal by a solitary goal in Gurgaon on Wednesday.
Dempo SC produced an aesthetic brand of football to win the first I-League title.
Man of the match Roberto Silva's brilliant performance helped Dempo score a convincing 3-1 victory to halt title aspirant Salgaocar's dream run in the I-League, played at Nehru Stadium, in Margao, on Saturday.
Bengaluru FC showed no sign of protective-approach, when they trounced Shillong Lajong FC 2-0.
Dempo finished their league engagements with a solitary goal win over Mohun Bagan at the Nehru Stadium on Friday.
Dempo emerged NFL champions after holders Mahindra United went down 1-2 to East Bengal.
India's top clubs were drew 2-2 with Brothers Union of Bangladesh and Turkmenistan's Merv respectively in the second round.
Goals from Rohan Ricketts and Ryuji Sueoka helped Dempo beat Salgaocar 2-1 and regain the top position after their ninth round I-League match at the Nehru Stadium on Saturday.
The former champions went into overdrive to rout the defending champs 3-1 in a delayed (due to the Mumbai terror attacks) 11th round I-League match at the Cooperage in Mumbai on Monday evening. Mahindra, who led 1-0 at half-time, got their goals through Mohammed Rafi (39th minute), sriker Chidi Edeh (78th) and midfielder Pierre Douhou (83rd minute).
A brace by Australian striker Sean Rooney steered Bengaluru FC to a 3-1 victory over former champions Dempo SC in the Airtel I-League match at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Wednesday.
Dempo SC continued their unbeaten run and knocked Mumbai FC out of the tournament with a convincing 2-0 win and became the second team after Bengaluru FC to qualify for the semifinals of the Federation Cup.
