Dempo led 1-0 at the lemon break. The Golden Eagles took the lead in the six minute when Vineet turned gracefully in the box and fired past the rival goalkeeper. With the deficit, Sporting Clube were eager to get back into the game and played with real gusto. There were long passes essayed forward from the defence and through balls provide in the midfield as they displayed their spatial awareness.
Flaming Oranje struggled to come to equal terms but Dempo kept their lead intact till the breather.
Changing over, Sporting Clube still showed urgency. Their patience was finally rewarded when captain Souvik Das controlled a telling pass and buried the ball into the back of the net.
In the closing stages, Sporting Clube had a delightful opportunity to grab the winner when Mauvin Borges raided the box and cut the ball across the face of goal, but Joel Fernandes’ shot was marvellously saved by the Dempo custodian Alison Fernandes.
Dempo breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time started to find openings in the Sporting Clube defence as they marauded the rival citadel. Quick thinking found Dempo’s Vineet in a yard of space and he cleverly lifted the ball over the Sporting Clube goalkeeper seven minutes from time to grab the much need winner.
