JCT trounce Mohun Bagan

Jagajit Cotton and Textile Mills, Phagwara, made the most of opportunities to hand three-time champions Mohun Bagan a 3-1 defeat in a National Football League match in Kolkata on Monday.

Sunil Chhetri and Edeh Chiddi drummed up a good combination to score the first two goals for the Punjab team, which further bolstered their position through Adebayo's strike, at the Salt Lake stadium.

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The promising Lal Kamal Bhowmick pulled one back for Bagan, who remain on 12 points after 11 matches.

JCT, having played the same number of matches as their opponents, are on 15 points.

Bagan enjoyed an edge in ball possession in the first half that saw JCT go 2-0 up. The local team was done in by their lack of penetration upfront, and the chinks in their defensive armour also proved decisive.

Early in the match, Chiddi's left-footer came off the bar, while at the other end, Douglas DeSouza's curling free-kick was parried by JCT goalkeeper Daljit.

JCT took the lead in the 19th minute. Chiddi sent Chhetri a fine ball after avoiding Bagan skipper Sanjiv Maria and the young striker received it on top of the box and utilized the vacant spaces before him to let go a left-footer that went into the net.

Chhetri did the spadework for the second goal five minutes later as he latched on to a long ball inside the box and directed a square pass for Chiddih, who tapped in on the run.

Bagan narrowed the margin in the 57th minute, courtesy a combined move. Jose Barreto essayed a through for Mehtab Hossain, who sent a fine cross and Bhowmick placed home without much ado.

The goal acted a like an elixir for Bagan, and the Kolkata giants carried out several raids into the opponent's half but could not deliver the killer punch.

Seventeen minutes from close, JCT stymied Bagan's enthusiasm by making the scoreline 3-1 when Renedy Singh's delectable swerving free-kick came to Adebayo, who flicked the ball into the net.