Golden Eagles to face Chanmari FC in their third IFL fixture today
Ella: Dempo Sports Club with one clear objective their first win of the Indian Football League 2025-26 season against Chanmari FC.
The Golden Eagles head into Matchweek 3 with just one point from their opening two fixtures a 2-2 draw against Real Kashmir FC on home turf followed by a 2-1 defeat to Diamond Harbour FC in Kalyani. While the performances have shown enough to suggest Dempo are competitive in this league, four goals conceded in two games has been a concern that Head Coach Samir Naik has addressed head on in the build-up to this fixture.
“We are creating chances but we have conceded four goals which is not really good,” Naik said. “We have worked on certain areas and I feel we will give our best in the next game.”
Naik has been consistent in his message this week the squad has the quality, the lapses have been identified and the work has been done. What Thursday demands now is execution.
“We were organised it was just some lapse of concentration,” he said. “The mentality of the players is very strong and I feel we will do better in the coming games.”
The IFL’s compact format leaves little room for slow starts. With Stage 1 consisting of just ten fixtures per side before the table splits, every dropped point carries weight. Naik is aware of that reality.
“There is no time for recovery because it is a very short format,” he said. “We have to be in that group where we can challenge for the title.”
Dempo will face a Chanmari FC side that has made a strong start to their debut IFL season. The Aizawl-based club sit second in the table with four points having drawn their opener against Gokulam Kerala FC before beating Sreenidi Deccan FC with a stoppage-time goal in Matchweek 2.
One of the more encouraging subplots of Dempo’s early campaign has been the emergence of midfielder Knerkitalang Buam, he came off the bench when captain Ariston Costa was injured in the Real Kashmir game and did enough to earn a start against Diamond Harbour. He goes into Thursday’s game focused and clear on what is needed.
“We have to focus a little bit more on this next match,” Buam said. “It is a very important match for us we need to take three points.”
Buam also acknowledged the learning experience of working alongside Dempo’s foreign players this season. “The experience I am getting alongside the foreign players is quite good,” he said.
Dempo are five-time national league champions and the most successful club in this competition’s history. A first win of the season on Thursday would not only lift them up the table but set the tone for the rest of Stage 1.
