Dempo SC will look to keep their perfect start to the Star Cement Indian Football League 2026–27 season going when they host Chanmari FC, at the Nehru Stadium in Goa with kick-off scheduled for 16:00 IST. The match will be telecast live on DD Sports and streamed live on Unite8 YouTube Channel, Zee5 and WAVES App.
Dempo have won both matches, and in very different ways. Against debutants FC Bengaluru United in Fatorda on November 1, the Golden Eagles had around 70 per cent of the ball in the first half, and the breakthrough arrived only in the eighth minute of added time, when Ghanaian defender Uzziel Yaw Asomaning Budu glanced in a header from a corner.
In Rourkela four days later, they were far more direct. Captain Richmond Kwasi Owusu pounced on a long ball and went past his marker for the first, Under-22 midfielder Laximanrao Rane ran on to another for the second, and Dempo beat Samaleswari 2-1.
That range gives Head Coach Samir Naik, the former India full-back who has spent more than two decades at the club as player and coach, more than one way to approach Sunday.
At home, Dempo are likely to keep the ball and work it wide, often through Saiesh Bagkar on the left. If Chanmari sit deep, Owusu and Rane are ready to run in behind the moment the line pushes up. Marcus Joseph, last season’s Golden Boot winner with nine goals, has joined Real Kashmir FC, and Dempo’s goals this season have come from a centre-back, the captain and a young midfielder. The threat can come from anywhere.
Naik is pleased with the start but wants a sharper edge in front of goal, saying, “So far, we have done well and I am very happy with the team’s performances. However, we need to be a little more clinical in our finishing. We have created a lot of chances in both of our games but haven’t always taken them, so improving our finishing in the final third is a priority for us.”
Dead balls are worth watching. Budu’s winner came from a corner, and Athul Unnikrishnan headed another wide in the same match. In Shillong, Chanmari captain Zothanmawia came off his line twice in the opening quarter of an hour to punch crosses clear, and he can expect similar work in Fatorda.
Chanmari FC have played only once, having sat out the opening weekend, but their 1-1 draw at last season’s runners-up, Shillong Lajong FC, on November 6 said plenty. They went ahead in the 24th minute, when R Ramdinthara’s lofted ball towards Gabriel Ferreira Paz ended up in the Lajong net, and held the lead until the 78th.
Head Coach Steven Dias, the former India international winger who took charge in September, has a side at ease without the ball and quick to break once it wins it back. Lalthanzuala struck the woodwork after a run down the right, and Denilson Rodrigues Roldao showed neat feet around the edge of the area.
Naik has prepared his side with that in mind.
“I always say that all the teams in this league are equal. We know Chanmari’s strengths, and we have worked on certain tactical aspects in training that we will try to execute tomorrow. We have a fully fit squad with no injuries to report,” he said.
Dempo’s left flank could be where the game turns. Bagkar’s forward runs take him into the channel Lalthanzuala attacked in Shillong, and the space Dempo leave behind when they commit players forward is where Chanmari have hurt them before.
Chanmari used that space to settle the last meeting, a 2-0 win at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl on May 9. Lalruatsanga scored from a corner rebound in first-half stoppage time, and Jota sealed it on the break deep into added time.
The earlier meeting, also in Aizawl, finished 2-2 in March, with Dempo coming back from two goals down through Sebastián Gutiérrez and Joseph. Sunday will be the first time the sides have met in Goa in the Indian Football League. Joseph and Jota have both moved on since.
Bagkar, for his part, is looking forward. He said the win in Rourkela had lifted the squad, stating, “It was a very important result for us because winning away from home is never easy. Getting that result gives the whole team a massive confidence boost. There is a very positive atmosphere in the dressing room; everyone is motivated and working hard. We are enjoying the moment, but at the same time, we know there is still a lot of work to do and we must carry this momentum forward.”
“We know Chanmari is a very good team and a tough opponent, but we know our own ability and are confident we can give our best together for all three points,” he added. “We want to say a big thank you to our supporters for standing behind us, and we request them to come out in large numbers to create an amazing atmosphere at Fatorda.”
The two clubs finished level on 15 points in last season’s Championship Round, and there may be just as little between them on Sunday. Dempo have shown they can wait, scoring their opening-day winner in the 98th minute, while Chanmari kept Lajong at bay for more than 50 minutes in Shillong. They also know how to protect a lead, and Naik was pleased with how his side handled Samaleswari’s late push in Rourkela.
“In the last match against Samaleswari, because we were playing away, the opponents were pushing us hard at the end. It is normal for players to drop back to defend their lead in those situations, and I feel they did an excellent job managing that pressure,” he said. The final quarter of an hour in Fatorda may well settle it.
