Dempo Sports Club went down 2-0 to Chanmari FC in the Star Cement Indian Football League Championship Round at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl, today. Lalruatsanga and Jota were on the scoresheet for Chanmari FC.
Head Coach Samir Naik made no changes to the starting lineup.
The first half largely unfolded as a midfield contest, with both sides enjoying spells of possession but creating very little in terms of genuine goal-bound action. Sebastian Gutierrez and Saiesh Bagkar had opportunities from setpieces but lacked precision with their final attempts.
Despite a few promising openings for Dempo, the first half remained largely uneventful, until the first minute of stoppage time. Pruthvesh Pednekar’s attempt slipped through the hands of Ashish Sibi, allowing Lalruatsanga to pounce on the loose ball and score.
Chanmari FC led 1-0 at the break.
Shortly after the restart, Gutierrez came close to making an immediate impact but his effort rolled just wide. Dempo continued to search for an equaliser but lacked the attacking spark to seriously threaten the Chanmari goal.
Dempo were offered a lifeline when Aron Vanlalrinchhana picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge, reducing Chanmari to ten men. With the numerical advantage, Dempo pushed forward. Substitute Shubham Rawat attempted his luck from long range deep into stoppage time but his effort took a deflection and failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
With seven minutes added on, Dempo pushed numbers forward in search of a leveller, battling relentlessly to carve out a late equaliser. The pressure however, left spaces at the back and moments before the final whistle, Chanmari struck on the counter through Jota, who finished from a difficult acute angle with little chance for Sibi to react, sealing a 2-0 victory for the hosts.
Dempo SC will take on Diamond Harbour FC on 17th May, 2026, at the PJN Stadium, Fatorda.
