Mumbai, Nov 14 (IANS) Title contenders Dempo SC will look to keep their perfect start to the Indian Football League (IFL) 2026–27 season going when they host Chanmari FC, while Samaleswari SC and Rajasthan United FC meet in Rourkela with both sides searching for their first points, in a Sunday double-header in the early rounds of the league.
The match between Dempo SC and Chanmari FC will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, while later in the evening, Samaleswari SC will host Rajasthan United FC at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Rourkela.
Dempo seek hat-trick of wins
Dempo have won both their matches so far in contrasting styles. 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.
Samaleswari, Rajasthan United seek first points
The evening match in Rourkela brings together two sides still looking for their first point, and both have shown where their matches turn. All three of Samaleswari’s league goals have come after the 75th minute, and each of Rajasthan’s opening fixtures was decided by a single goal after the 65th.
Samaleswari, founded in 2006 in Pitapali, near Sambalpur, played in the Durand Cup for the first time this summer and beat Mohammedan SC 3-2. Head coach Abdul Azim Siddique’s squad is built around Odisha: ten players come from the state, five of them graduates of the Maa Samaleswari Sports Academy in Sambalpur.
Their league debut at Gokulam Kerala FC on October 31 set the tone. Two goals down inside 25 minutes, they drew level through a long throw that ended up in the Gokulam net in the 75th minute and a penalty from Argentine forward Jorge Pereyra Diaz in the 90th, before Crislan da Silva won it for the hosts in the dying moments.
At home to Dempo, they pushed into the opposition half six or seven times in the first ten minutes and, after trailing 2-0, pulled one back through Kartik Choudhary’s 35-yard lob. Mohammed El Jaaouani then had a sight of goal from a loose ball at a corner in stoppage time.
Siddique expects a demanding evening and believes his side are ready for it, saying, “Rajasthan United are a very competitive and experienced team. We respect them, but at the same time, we are here to compete and fight for the three points. We have prepared well for this match, and the players understand their responsibilities. Football is about learning, believing and responding to challenges. We are determined to give our best.”
Much of Samaleswari’s threat arrives from wide and through the air. Long throws, corners and crosses have brought most of their best moments, with Pereyra Diaz the target. In Kozhikode, he forced Shibin Raj into two good saves, one low at the near post and the other at full stretch.
Sahil Harijan’s running down the left created their first chance of the season, and Kiyam Amarjit Singh, who captained India at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, set the tempo in midfield. For Rajasthan, Spanish centre-back Adri Castellano’s command in the air will matter, all the more with defender Novin Gurung suspended.
Sunday opens a run of four home matches for Samaleswari, and Siddique sees it as an opportunity. “Having four back-to-back home matches is a challenge for us, but it can also be good for our preparation. We have been competitive in our recent matches, and now we need to start getting more points so that we can continue to compete strongly in this league,” he said. He also urged supporters to turn out in Rourkela, adding, “Their support will be very important for us.”
Samaleswari’s Jayesh Rane is confident the squad is ready, stating, “Everyone is working hard, everyone is doing well, and everyone is confident. I am sure we are going to deliver our best performance tomorrow. Home games are always important, and I think the next two matches are going to be more crucial for our team and for our position going forward.”
Rajasthan United FC finished third in the league phase last season and fourth in the Championship Phase, and Italian head coach Giuseppe Cristaldi is in his first season with the club. Sunday is their first away match after two at home in Jaipur, and they travel with a first goal still to come.
Cristaldi sees the trip as an opportunity, saying, “It is our first away match of the season. The first two games did not go the way we wanted, but for us, whether we are playing away or at home does not change much. Every match is worth three points. We have to look forward to this game as an opportunity to change the trend from the previous two matches and finally get the win.”
The chances have already been there. P. Christopher Kamei struck the crossbar from distance against Sreenidi Deccan FC on November 1, and Diego Maurício drove a shot just past the post. Against Gokulam six days later, Shibin had to deal with a Judah Garcia cross on his goal line, and Pranjal Bhumij forced him into two late saves.
The Italian expects an even contest. “At the moment, the standings do not reflect the real value of any team because only two or three matches have been played,” he said. “Samaleswari are in a similar situation to us, so it will obviously be a battle on the pitch. At the end of the day, we are looking forward to being the team that comes away with the three points.”
For Samaleswari, the balance lies in holding their shape against that pace without losing the late push that has brought all their goals. At the other end, goalkeeper Amrit Gope, who made two important saves against Sreenidi, can expect to be tested by the crosses and long throws the hosts favour. Cristaldi has promised that his side will keep going to the end. “One thing I can guarantee is the commitment and willingness of this team to fight until the final second, as we have seen in the previous two matches. The fighting spirit of this team will be there from the first second until the final whistle,” he said.
It is the first league meeting between the clubs, and with both sides at their liveliest in the final half-hour, the decisive moment may not arrive until late in the evening.
Dempo put their perfect record on the line in Goa on Sunday afternoon, and by the time the evening is over in Rourkela, Samaleswari or Rajasthan United could have their first points of the season.
–IANS
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