AGENCIES, KOLKATA: East Bengal displaced Bengaluru FC at the top of the table with a 4-0 win over Shillong Lajong in a round seven I-League match at the Barasat stadium, here, on Tuesday.
Shillong Lajong began with an early showers of attacks until Ranti Martins put the brakes on their onslaught with a first half hat-trick (17′, 26′, 37′) and Bikash Jairu scored a long ranger from the left wing in the 52nd minute. Konshan Singh’s sending off in the 82nd minute meant that Shillong Lajong finished the match with 10 men.
Biswajit Bhattacharya’s team is now two points clear at the top of the standings with 14 points from seven games while Thangboi Singto’s side have seven points from five matches.
Do Dong-Hyun and CS Sabeeth were relegated to the bench of the home side as Sanju Pradhan and Mohammed Rafique started in their place. The Reds had only one change from their last game as Rupert Nongrum was replaced by Boithang Haokip.
Bipin Singh got past Sanju Pradhan in the ninth minute from an onside position in the East Bengal box but somehow managed to head a diagonal cross from Boithang Haokip wide off the far post from the left, when he had only goalkeeper Luis Barreto to beat.
Vishal Kaith blocked Mohammed Rafique’s attempt from the edge of the box in the very next minute at the other end. It wasn’t until the 17th minute that the floodgates opened, with a move initiated by Mehtab Hossain as he put the ball through to Sanju Pradhan. With a quick sprint on the right flank, Pradhan fizzed a ball across the face of the goal which Ranti calmly finished with his left foot at the far post.
Kaith did not even move as Ranti struck again in less than 10 minutes from about 25 yards out. Mehtab nudged the ball towards the Nigerian who effected a brilliant first touch before blasting it past the young Shillong Lajong custodian.
It took Ranti only 20 minutes to complete his hat-trick, finishing the move which he started himself with a touch off a long ball onto Rafique who chipped it back to him inside the box. The former Dempo forward side-stepped Kaith and almost lost his balance after cutting Samuel Shadap but regained his composure to score into the open net.
Shillong Lajong were still struggling to launch a decent attack as Penn Orji, with a clear view on goal, however chose to set up Uilliams Souza who was stranded offside.
Orji missed a couple of early chances after the restart while Bipin sent a shot straight down the throat of Barreto who had a much busier second half.
However, Jairu sprung with an incredible goal from the left wing which initially looked like a cross but beat the Shillong Lajong goalkeeper in the 52nd minute. Kaith misjudged the flight of the lob and the ball disappointingly slipped through his gloves and into his net.
Already down by four goals, the visitors were reduced to 10 men after Bernard Mendy, who was headed towards goal, was tugged on by Konsham who received his second booking in the 82nd minute.
