The result ensured they ended their campaign on 30 points from 18 matchese. Churchill on the other hand finished with 20 points from 18 matches, their position in the table to be decided on Sunday.
East Bengal lifted themselves up from a gloomy first-half and fired two late goals to blank HAL, Bangalore in their return leg I-League fixture at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday.
Dempo beat East Bengal through Tolgay Ozbey's 75th minute goal in the 18th round encounter of the I-League, played at the Nehru Stadium, Margao on Sunday.
Sporting Clube de Goa were stopped in their tracks by a determined Pailan Arrows as the two teams were locked goalless in a fifth round clash of the I-League at the Nehru Stadium, in Fatorda, Goa, on Wednesday. Sporting Clube were on a two-match winning streak and expected to complete a hat-trick of wins, but lacked the necessary sharpness upfront.
Prize-money of Rs 1.25 crore is up for grabs in the second edition of the ONGC-sponsored I-League football tournament, which gets underway on Friday. The winners of India's premier club competition will earn Rs 50 lakh, while the runners-up will get Rs 28 lakh. The third and fourth-placed teams will get Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively.
Four-time champions Dempo will be the underdogs when they kick-start their I-League campaign against defending champions Salgaocar at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Margao, on Saturday.
Foreigners continued to dominate Indian football as they scored 136 of the 227 goals in the I-League.
Round up of the I League matches being played in various parts of the country.
Pune FC's spirited effort fell short as they went down 1-3 to Kingfisher East Bengal in an I-League Round-5 encounter at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan, in Kolkata, on Wednesday. The defeat was Pune FC's second consecutive in away games at Kolkata. They have five points, all from home matches.
Sporting Clube de Goa continued their slow but steady progress in the I-League with a solitary goal victory over Dempo Sports Club at Duler Stadium, Goa, on Saturday.
Dempo Sports Club, Goa, thrashed Viva Kerala 4-1 to lift the inaugural ONGC I-League title.
Mumbai FC almost pulled off a spectacular upset before Mohun Bagan rode on a Balwant Singh strike in the dying moments for a thrilling 2-2 draw in an I-League football match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Riding on a brace from Nigerian striker Odafa Okolie, McDowell Mohun Bagan defeated Air India 3-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, to move up to 24 points in the I-League table.
Nigerian striker Edeh Chidi scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Salgaocar in the inaugural match in Goa on Saturday.
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.
Bengaluru FC showed no sign of protective-approach, when they trounced Shillong Lajong FC 2-0.
Dipanda Dicka's solitary second half goal gave Shillong Lajong their fourth home win of the season as they beat Churchill Brothers 1-0 in a seventh round I-League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Sunday.
The 'I-League' will kick-off in Margao, Goa, on November 24 with a match between NFL champions Dempo and Salgaocar, and end on March 30, 2008.
With the nagging hamstring injury sustained in the AFC Challenge Cup healed, a fit-again Baichung Bhuita is raring to go full throttle when his team Mohun Bagan opens its I-League campaign against minnows Mumbai FC on Saturday.
A listless Mohun Bagan were saved by former Trinidad and Tobago World Cupper Cornell Glen as they managed to hold arch-rivals East Bengal to a 1-1 draw in the much-anticipated Kolkata derby of the I-League.
Pune FC braved a rain soaked evening and clinched a narrow 1-0 win over Royal Wahingdoh FC.
East Bengal rode on defender Bello Rasaq's header to defeat Salgaocar 2-1 and jump to second place in the I-League football tournament in Barasat on Sunday.
Kayne Vincent struck twice to help Churchill Brothers hold East Bengal 2-2 in a thrilling Round 12 I-League match at Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday.
'We want more and more teams to join the I-League and ISL. With this, the two competitions will get stronger. We need more teams so that more players get chances'
A second-half strike by Tolgay Ozbey helped East Bengal register a solitary goal win over Salgaocar to climb up to the top of the standings after their fifth straight win in the I-League at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Pune FC staged a comeback 2-1 victory over title chasers East Bengal in an I-League Round 22 encounter at the Balewadi Sports Complex, in Pune on Monday.
The I-League 2023-24 will be organised with 13 participating clubs on a home-and-away double round-robin basis for a total of 156 matches in the season.
Pune FC snapped ONGC's winning streak at the Ambedkar stadium with a solitary win in a 24th Round I-League clash in New Delhi on Sunday.
Mohun Bagan continued their dream run in the I-League, taking their winning streak to four matches by overcoming stiff resistance from Air India and recording a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Kalyani Stadium, in Kolkata on Saturday.
Luck was impartial on Saturday in the 21st round I-League encounter between ONGC and Churchill Brothers at Ambedkar Stadium.
Churchill Brothers Sports Club raced to the top of the I-League ladder with a 3-0 demolition of Air India at the Duler Stadium in Mapusa on Tuesday.
A Malaysian betting syndicate approached Indian clubs to fix I-League matches last season, a top official said on Tuesday, prompting the country's football federation to take the first step towards setting up an anti-corruption unit.
Churchill Brothers played true to their reputation to hold off the challenge of youthful Pailan Arrows 3-0 in the 10th round of the I-League at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on Monday.
Lalpekhlua Jeje and Sony Norde scored spectacular goals to hand Mohun Bagan a 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC in a round eight clash of the Hero I-League football tournament at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Images from the I-League football match between Mahindra United and East Bengal at the Cooperage in Mumbai on Wednesday.
A double strike from Yusif Yakubu and Ryuji Sueoka kept Salgaocar's winning momentum going as they thrashed AIFF XI 5-0 to score their fourth win to move at the top of the table in the I-League, played at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, in Margoa 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.
Dempo made a spectacular second half comeback to demolish Mohun Bagan 4-1 in a round 23 I-League match at Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Wednesday.
Jose Ramirez Barreto and Snehashish Chakraborty helped Mohun Bagan register a 2-1 win over arch-rivals East Bengal in the return-leg of the I-League at Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday.
East Bengal wasted opportunities galore as bottom-rung Sporting Clube de Goa held the local side 1-1 in their round 23 I-League match at Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday.
