Fatorda (Goa):Dempo Sports Club registered a hat-trick of wins and that too in style after dismantling Mohun Bagan 5-0 in a I-League encounter at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Wednesday. Despite not having star strikers Odafe Okolie and Jose Ramirez Barreto, Mohun Bagan were still believed to have enough ammunition to take on the Goan giants in their own den. But the hosts caught Mohun Bagan by surprise with two goals inside the first ten minutes. Once Dempo had taken the lead, the result never ever seemed to be in doubt.
Ranty Martins was the hero once again for Dempo. The Nigerian striker scored a brace of goals while Joaquim Abranches also helped himself to two goals and Sameer Naik helped complete an unexpected rout. Dempo started with the same side that demolished Mumbai FC in the last game and they seemed to pick up from where they had left. Ranty was as dangerous as ever and it was the Nigerian striker who helped open the floodgates in the eighth minute itself. Ranty helped himself to a ball from Peter Carvalho just outside and the unleashed such a powerful shot that found the top corner of the net.
The opening goal buoyed Dempo, and while Bagan appeared to be dazed, there was another setback in store. This time, and just a minute later, Ranty was the provider and the goal came from the boots of Joaquim Abranches who, incidentally, had come in for some stick for gilt-edge misses in the previous matches. This time, though, Abranches did not put a foot wrong as he gave finishing touches after Ranty and Climax Lawrence had done the spadework.
For a brief moment, Dempo seemed content in the two goal lead until Anthony Pereira rattled the crossbar with a powerful long ranger. That was the clue that Dempo’s hunger had not died down and true to form they scored their third goal in the 38th minute. The Bagan defence never really convinced anyone and nobody raised an eyebrow when Ranty’s shot was deflected by a defender and the ball fell into the path of an unmarked Sameer Naik who only had to guide the ball home.
The bad turned worse for Mohun Bagan at the stroke of half time when Dempo added another goal. Ranty, after a couple of misses, got his second of the evening as he combined with Abranches – later voted the man of the match – to heap more humiliation on the visitors.
The start of the second session saw more problems for Mohun Bagan. Abranches took everyone by surprise immediately after the restart as his snap shot from outside the box beguiled goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee.
Dempo now lead the table with an impressive nine points from three matches while Mohun Bagan have been left with six points in their kitty.
HAL Hold Pailan
HAL Bangalore erased a goal’s deficit to hold young Pailan Arrows 1-1 in the third round I-League match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday. Both the goals came in the second session as Arrows took the lead off striker CS Sabeeth, while HASC found the equaliser through Jagaba Hamza Amaba.
The first session ended barren as Arrows failed to bring out the usual flair and speed. On the other hand HAL Bangalore preferred a defensive approach in the first half.
The second session saw much of the action with Arrows playing the lead. Arrows found an early opportunity in the 47th minute but failed to find the net as midfielder Ajay Singh saw his header coming off the crosspiece. Keeping up the pressure Arrows found the lead in the 57th minute off a cross from skipper Milan Singh that was sent home by Sabeeth.
HAL found the equaliser in the 63rd minute when substitute RC Prakash set up Hamza Amaba with a cross, which the latter slotted home. The drawn result gave both the teams first point of the tournament as both the teams lost their first two round matches.