After a streak of inconsistent performances, defending champions Dempo Sports Club started their campaign in the second leg of the 10th ONGC National Football League with a resounding 3-0 win over JCT Mills, Phagwara, at Duler ground, Mapusa, in Goa on Friday.
All the goals came in the first half with Nacemento Silveira putting Dempo ahead in the 21st minute from a rebound after an Edwardo Silva free-kick hit the post.
Nigerian Ranty Martins doubled the lead in the 25th minute with a gem of a goal off a Clifford Miranda pass.
Isfaq Ahmed put the match beyond the reach of the millmen, scoring on a solo run to take Dempo's tally to 13 points from 10 matches.
JCT, who are known for their steady approach, failed to impress, although they tried to score on a few occassions in the second half. They remained on 10 points from 10 matches.
"The first goal was the goalkeeper's mistake which our team did not recover from as they conceded two more goals in quick succession," a dejected JCT coach Parminder Singh said.
"Although our boys tried hard in the second half but they found it hard to score goals. Things would have been different if we had scored an early goal in the second half," Singh added.
Dempo's coach Armando Colaco was happy with the win.
"The boys played well in the first half but failed to keep the tempo going in the second half. We have to keep the momentum going from now on if we want to finish at least in the fourth position," Colaco said.
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