Dempo Sports Club went down 3-1 to Sreenidi Deccan FC in their Star Cement Indian Football League (IFL) encounter at the Deccan Arena, in Hyderabad tonight.
A reshaped Dempo side, with four changes introduced by head coach Samir Naik, bringing in Ariston Costa, Richmond Owusu, Mohamed Ali and Kapil Hoble in place of Amay Morajkar, Marcus Joseph, Arnold Oliveira and Sebastian Gutierrez.
Dempo, were forced to respond almost immediately as the hosts took the lead through R Lalbiakliana.
Despite the early blow, Dempo settled well and grew into the contest with composure. What followed however, was a display of resistance. Goalkeeper Ashish Sibi stood tall under pressure, producing two sharp saves to deny David Castaneda and keep Dempo within touching distance at a stage where the contest threatened to slip away.
Sreenidi Deccan added a second in the 28th minute through Hadi Idrissou, but Dempo continued to compete with determination and organisation heading into the break.
Dempo began to control phases of possession and push higher up the pitch. Their efforts were rewarded in the 60th minute when Knerkitalang Buam delivered a precise ball into the area and Richmond Owusu finished confidently to reduce the deficit.
With momentum shifting and Sreenidi Deccan reduced to ten men following Lalromawia’s dismissal, Dempo sensed an opportunity and pressed forward with purpose, looking the more threatening side during this phase of the game.
However, against the run of play, the hosts struck again in the 70th minute through Fabrice Nkwoh to restore their advantage. Dempo continued to push until the closing stages, with Amay Morajkar testing the goalkeeper from distance and Jose Luis Moreno going close from a set-piece, underlining the side’s attacking intent. While the result did not go their way, Dempo will take positives from this performance into their next fixture.
Next Fixture
Dempo SC to take on Namdhari SC on the 2nd of April, 2026, at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Fatorda, Goa.
