Ashim Biswas scored a brilliant hat-trick to lead former champions Mohun Bagan to a convincing 3-0 victory over Indian Bank in a National Football League match in Kolkata on Monday.
Biswas, who topped the scorers' list among Indians in the last edition of the NFL, opened the account in the sixth minute before and added goals in the 18th and 62nd minutes of a one-sided match at the Salt Lake stadium.
With this victory, the three-time NFL champions increased their tally to seven points from four outings to move to the second slot in the league behind Dempo, who have played a match less than them.
Indian Bank are at the bottom of the table, drawing a blank from all the four matches they have played.
Biswas, having additional responsibility in the absence of Jose Barreto, almost scored in the fifth minute but his header off a Renedy Singh corner was saved on the goal line by Amjad Hussain.
A minute later, another Renedy corner from the right was trapped by Leorando for Biswas, who netted home with a snap right-footer past rival custodian Felix Edward.
The youngster, playing his first season for Bagan, scored the second goal in similar fashion as he stooped low to head home a Renedy corner after medio Mehtab Hussain foxed the crowded rival defence with a dummy.
The last goal, however, was more of a gift from the rival keeper, as Biswas's weak grounder off an Eduardo pass slipped through the hands of a diving Felix.
The bankmen, who never recovered from the early assault, unleashed a few goal-bound attempts, but Bagan goalie Prosanto Dora did a splendid job to keep danger at bay.
