Dempo keep cool, Al Ansar don't

PUNE: Dempo Sports Club players put their lives on the firing line, throwing themselves at every volley, every cannon ball and even fell to the floor only to lift themselves up and continue the battle, not only for life but to earn that cherished spot for an entry into the next round of the AFC Cup from Group A on Wednesday.
They desperately held on to their two-goal advantage, survived some close calls, defending with 10 men against a desperate Al Ansar of Lebanon who lost their cool and composure to go down 1-2 with a late goal (91st) from Mootaz Bellah.
The match was scripted for a perfect thriller that saw fisticuffs, yellow and red cards aplenty and probably some blood flow along with buckets of sweat. But Dempo stood tall and weathered the siege with valour to troop out winners. Dempo showed better co-ordination after an unsettled first quarter of an hour when the visitors were more vibrant and pacy. It was during this period when Al Ansar almost broke through the Dempo defence. Brazilian Edson Luis Nascimento breezed into the box after picking a long ball but he was cleverly brought down by Mahesh Gawli at the expense of a free-kick and a yellow card in the seventh minute.
But once the I-League champs settled into a rhythm, Al Ansar looked all at sea but for a few forays that ended abruptly in front of a vigilant Dempo defence.
If there were moments when Al Ansar gained ascendancy, it was when Dempo midfielders Climax Lawrence and Ogba Kalou showed moments of uncertainty and gave away the ball, allowing Edson and Al Nasrerredine the opportunity to cause a few tremors.
Dempo then picked up the pace and stitched together neat passing bouts ensuring they maintained ball possession at all cost. They came close to increasing the lead on a number of occasions with Debabrata Roy, Beto and Ranti being denied by the Al Ansar defence and goalkeeper Hassan Moghnieh. Al Ansar tried their best to claw their way back, but all that the visitors managed was a goal in added time. The win helped Dempo (7 points) finish second in the group and qualify for the knockout stage. Nasaf hammered Al Tilal 7-1 in another league clash.