With just two rounds left in the ONGC I-League football championship, which replaced the National Football League, Goan teams Dempo Sports Club and Churchill Brothers promise an interesting finish, though the former holds the edge to lift the title.
Tied with Churchill on 32 points, but leading the table by virtue of a better goal difference, Dempo have a good chance of emerging champions considering the fact that they take on bottom-placed Salgaocar Sports Club, Goa (10) at Margao on Sunday before arriving in Kochi on February 23 for the final engagement in the 18-round 10-team League to play ninth-placed Viva Kerala (12 points).
Dempo thrashed Salgaocar 3-0 and Viva Kerala 4-0 in earlier meetings.
For Churchill, who play Sporting Club de Goa and Air India, Mumbai - the latter held them to a goalless draw in the ninth round - besides wining both matches by wide margins they may still have to pray for a Dempo defeat in one of their last two matches, which looks highly unlikely.
JCT, Phagwara, who are third on 29 points, take on relatively tough opponents in fourth-placed Mohun Bagan (28) in their next round and also cannot look for easy prey in Salgaocar in the last tie with whom they could only settle for a 3-all draw in the ninth round.
The Punjab team can clinch the title only if both Dempo and Churchill end up losers in their last two matches.
Likewise, the other near-impossible is for Mohun Bagan to finish at the top provided they beat JCT and Mahindra United and Dempo and Churchill also lose from now on.
The Ranty Martins Soleye-led Dempo's rousing form, and their favourable final-round fixtures, should see defending NFL champions claim the title.
With nine wins, five draws and two defeats, Dempo have been at the top of the table almost throughout the championship, displaying tremendous consistency compared to the other nine teams.
That their two shocking defeats, against fifth-placed Mahindra United (24) and eighth-placed East Bengal (15), came only in the 12th and 13th rounds.
While many of their victories -- 3-0 (against Salgaocar), 4-1 (Air India), 4-0 (Viva Kerala), 4-1 (Churchill), 4-1 (Sporting) -- were recorded with wide margins, their two defeats -- 1-3 (Mahindra) and 0-1 (East Bengal) -- were not so shattering.
Having established a runaway lead in the initial stages, the Goans settled for consecutive goalless draws in the last two rounds, against JCT and Mohun Bagan, unwilling to take risks.
Besides captain Ranty Martins, others who have contributed significantly to the team's steady progress are Chidi Edeh, Roberto Mendis Silva, Nicolau Borges, Clifton Gonsalves, Anthony Pereira, Joaquim Abranches and Climax Lawrence, all proving a thorn in the rival's flesh in turns.
Dempo custodian Satish Kumar is also in excellent form, often coming to his team's rescue under the bar.
