Dempo SC beat Samaleswari SC 2-1 at Birsa Munda to extend winning start in IFL 2026-27
Dempo SC defeated Samaleswari SC 2-1 at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Rourkela on Thursday, November 5, 2026, to extend their winning start in the Indian Football League 2026–27. Richmond Kwasi Owusu and Laximanrao Rane scored for Dempo, while Kartik Choudhary pulled one back for the hosts.
Samaleswari played in their all-orange kit and began the match on the front foot under captain Jayesh Dilip Rane, with Kiyam Amarjit Singh helping control midfield and an attacking trio of Jorge Rolando Pereyra Diaz, Ishan Pandita and Roshan Panna probing early. The home side entered Dempo territory at least six to seven times inside the first 10 minutes, forcing the visitors' defensive unit of Uzziel Yaw Asomaning Budu, Athul Unnikrishnan and Pruthvesh Pednekar into a busy opening quarter. Despite the early pressure, Samaleswari struggled to find a cutting final pass in the attacking third.
The deadlock was broken in the 28th minute when captain Richmond Kwasi Owusu intercepted a long ball, beat his marker Shahid Nazir and slotted past Samaleswari goalkeeper Aaryan Anjaneya to give Dempo the lead. The goal arrived against the run of play and allowed Dempo to grow into the contest, with the visitors carrying their one-goal advantage into half-time after a sustained spell of possession.
Dempo opened the second half by exploiting a series of misplaced passes from the hosts and took firmer control of the match, doubling their lead in the 58th minute through Under-22 midfielder Laximanrao Rane. Rane latched onto a long ball, again got the better of Shahid Nazir, dribbled past a defender and finished beyond Aaryan Anjaneya, leaving a Samaleswari backline that included Jamal Arago, Basit Ahmed Bhat and Mohammed El Jaaouani unable to contain the visitors.
Samaleswari continued to penetrate into the final third but had managed just one shot on target beyond the hour mark as Dempo, aided by Brazilian forward Cledson Carvalho Dasilva and Owusu occupying the defence, focused on retaining possession with a two-goal cushion. The hosts narrowed the deficit in the 82nd minute when youngster Kartik Choudhary picked out Dempo goalkeeper Subhajit Bhattacharjee slightly off his line and produced a left-footed curling lob from around 35 yards that sailed over the keeper and into the net; the report called it arguably the best goal of the tournament so far.
Six minutes of stoppage time were added and Samaleswari pressed for a late equaliser, creating a presentable chance in the 90+5th minute from a corner when a rebound fell to Mohammed El Jaaouani inside the box; he failed to convert, giving Subhajit Bhattacharjee a reprieve before the final whistle. The match ended 2-1 in Dempo's favour after that missed opportunity.
The result confirmed Dempo Sports Club's victory on the road and allowed the Golden Eagles to maintain their winning start to the IFL 2026–27 season, with all three points secured in Rourkela.
