Mohun Bagan rout Telegraph to record biggest win this season

Kolkata: Edeh Chidi and Subair Muritala Ali scored a hat-trick each as the reigning champions Mohun Bagan trounced George Telegraph 7-0 in the Sahara Kolkata Premier Division Football league here on Tuesday. Federation Cup runners-up Mohun Bagan started the proceedings in a whirlwind fashion and Chidi sprung a surprise scoring inside forty-five seconds. He struck two more times before the lemon break. His fourth and 150th strike in India came from a free kick which he coverted effortlessly. Chidi`s partner and Nigerian Ali also scored a hat-trick to give Mohun Bagan the required confidence after their Federation Cup defeat to East Bengal in the summit clash early this month. The victory fetched the green and maroon total ten points from five games, but not enough for holders to scare table leaders East Bengal, who have 24 points from eight games followed by Techno Aryan`s 21 points from nine plays, another unbeaten outfit in this edition of domestic league. George Telegraph stayed put at five points after ten matches. Shaven-headed Chidi looked deadly whenever he moved with the ball and completed his first hat-trick this season into the stoppage time of first half. The beginning of second-half saw Ali scoring twice within ten minutes and had to wait for a penalty in the fag end of the game. As substitute Satish Kumar was fouled by GT`s defender Martin, referee Prabir Dhar signaled for the spot kick. Ali defeated GT goalkeeper Tonmoy Karmakar to score his first hat-trick of the season. Mohun Bagan could have scored ten goals and surpass their 8-0 win versus GT in 1970 had not Chidi, Ali and Kingshuk Debnath missed their sitters. The two hattricks were fifth in this edition, after East Bengal`s Bikash Narginari, Penn Orji and Chirag United`s Josimar da Silva Martins. PTI