Dempo SC hold Sporting Clube de Goa

After a goalless first half in which Sporting dictated the tempo, it was Myron Fernandes who provided the breakthrough in the 56th minute. His teasing cross picked out Doyal Alves at the near post and the forward made no mistake to give Sporting Clube the lead.

Dempo, however, responded swiftly. Just eight minutes later, Arnold Oliveira drove forward and delivered a clever cutback for Asmon Viegas, who lashed a precise first-time finish into the bottom corner to level the contest.

Sporting Clube had been the brighter side in the opening 45 minutes, with Anil Zore causing problems down the left, while Dempo relied on Arnold Oliveira’s creativity to fashion chances for Shubham Rawat. The best of the first-half opportunities came from Sporting Clube’s right flank, but Dempo defenders Nestor Dias and Rahul Rodrigues stood firm to clear their lines.

The second half saw Dempo come out with greater purpose, Shubham Rawat battling aerially with Edwin Viegas and Oliveira weaving through Sporting’s backline, only for chances to slip away. But once both sides had traded goals, the game settled into a tactical battle.

Dempo pushed hard for a winner, with goalkeeper Myrick Hilario launching long deliveries towards Swavel Furtado in attack. Yet Sporting’s defence held steady, soaking up the pressure to ensure the points were shared. At the final whistle, neither side could find the edge as the clash ended 1-1.