Kamal Ghorui
Panaji: Dempo Sports Club have shown they can fight back when their backs are against the wall. After a rocky start to their campaign, the five-time national champions did enough to qualify for the championship phase of the Indian Football League (IFL).Dempo will now start afresh when they face Shillong Lajong FC at the SSA Stadium in Shillong on Sunday.It were back-to-back victories against Lajong and Aizawl FC that gave Samir Naik’s side a lifeline and took them to the top six with a game to spare.However, a defeat at home against Rajasthan United FC kept Dempo at nine points from as many games. With the points from the first phase being carried forward, a win would have boosted their prospects of challenging league leaders Diamond Harbour FC, who defeated Chanmari FC 2-0 on Saturday to move to 25 points from 10 games.“I don’t say it is difficult, but it is always challenging when you travel to northeastern states. Altitude also plays a part,” Samir told TOI during the pre-match media interaction on SaturdayDempo trounced Lajong 3-0 at home but Samir is wary of the away conditions.“The ground is astroturf while we train on a natural surface. The shift is challenging for players to adjust. The ball is not rolling the way you want. But then I feel we have all the qualities and we have prepared well. We just need focus and take it one game at a time,” said the former international.With foreigners arriving just before the opener against Real Kashmir FC (2-2), it made life difficult for Dempo in their next four away games in the first phase. They could only manage a point against Chanmari FC with a 2-2 draw. “When other teams were on 12-13 points, we were on two, so we felt the pressure since we played all games away and had catching up to do. In these five games, we will do better,” said Samir.“The situation now is not impossible but very challenging,” said the Dempo coach. “There is a lot of gap (of points) and five games to play. But that’s how you learn. We are a young team, and this season has been a very good experience. We know how far we can go. But overall, we have done well in the league.”Lajong dropped to third in the league with 17 points after Sreenidi Deccan FC leapfrogged them with a 2-1 win against Rajasthan on Friday. Dempo have most of their players fit, besides Shubham Rawat and Darell Mascarenhas, who will miss due to injuries.“The understanding has been going well after so many matches. It’s been a long time that we are playing together, and we will continue the good work,” said Dempo midfielder Nestor Dias.The kick off is at 6.30pm.
