Dempo thrash Mohun Bagan 5-0

Margao: Hosts Dempo inflicted a humiliating 5-0 defeat on Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan to register their third consecutive win in the third round of the I-League on Wednesday.

The hosts set the ball rolling from the start with swift short passes and held ball possession throughout and went two goals up within 10 minutes at Nehru Stadium, Fatroda. Ranty Martins, who linked up well with Joaquim Abranches and with the midfield backing them up to the hilt, took lead in the 8th minute. Peter Carvalho from the left laid a pass to Martins, who got the better of a rival defender and drilled a 20-yard shot that found the roof of the net. A minute later, a combined move from the middle between Joaquim Abranches, Climax Lawerence and Ranty Martins saw Martins send a diagonal cross into the box, which was met by Joaquim Abranches who shot into the net. Four minutes later, Martins had a golden chance to further swell the lead but the wily-striker muffed an open chance with no one to challenge him as he drove the ball over the bar off a cross from Clifford Miranda. A brief lull followed with play being confined to the midfield as Dempo held the ball possession. Anthony Pereira came up with a 30-yards shot which hit the cross bar. However, the Bagan defence wilted under pressure as their citadel crumbled yet again in the 38th minute. Joaquim Abranches, named Man of the Match, laid a pass to Martins who dribbled past a rival defender on the right and took a shot at the goal which got deflected from a rival defender and fell on the path of Sameer Naik, who shot home on the run. Martins then made amends for his earlier lapses when he scored his brace in the stoppage time of the first half to take his tally to five goals from three matches. Bagan, in the absence of key players Odafe Okolie and Jose Baretto, failed to play a cohesive game and looked mere spectators especially in the first half. It was only in the second half that they came up with a couple of moves which the goalkeeper collected easily. Dempo continued to dictate terms in the second half too and made it 5-0 just after resumption when Joaquim Abranches, who received a pass from Martins, made a run down into the box and essayed a right footer which brushed keeper Sangram Mukherjee`s fingers and went into the net. Therafter, the hosts slowed down the pace of the game and held ball possession but could not add more goals as the rivals packed more men in the defence. Dempo with their third straight win are leading the table with nine points from three matches. On the other hand Bagan, who suffered their first defeat, remained on six points from three matches. Dempo coach Armando Colaco was elated after their emphatic win. "All credit goes to the boys who played well and have maintained the winning momentum." Mohun Bagan coach Prasanta Banerjee was disappointed with the result. "We missed six regulars players against a better team who played well throughout. We will not lose our hearts (following the defeat). Its a long way ahead as the I-League has just begun." PTI