Dempo SC cruised to a 3-1 victory over Pax of Nagoa in the Goa Professional League at Duler Stadium on Monday, with Shubham Rawat leading the charge with a clinical brace.

The Golden Eagles struck early, as Rawat lobbed the ball over the Nagoa keeper after a perfectly timed long ball from Pruthvesh Pednekar in the 9th minute. Dempo remained in control throughout, but it wasn’t until the second half that substitute Vinay Harji doubled the lead, finishing off another assist from Pednekar.

Nagoa pulled one back when Stephen Satarkar capitalized on a rebound after Nickson Castanha’s free-kick hit the crossbar, but any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Rawat netted his second in the dying moments, pouncing on a defensive error to secure three points for Dempo.

Pax of Nagoa head coach Mateus Costa shuffled his lineup after their recent win against Vasco SC, introducing Ponif Vaz, Velrose Dias, and Jesloy Moniz. Meanwhile, Dempo coach Samir Naik made five changes following their triumph over Panjim Footballers, with Shallum Pires and Kapil Hoble among the fresh faces.

Dempo dictated play from the start, with Knerkitalang Buam orchestrating the midfield and Laximanrao Rane wreaking havoc down the left wing. Nagoa threatened with Sarineo Fernandes' close attempt, but Dempo's dominance was evident. Even after a brilliant goal-line save denied Rawat a second, Dempo kept pushing and eventually broke through again, securing a well-earned victory.