Goa/Pune/Bangalore: Defending Champions Salgaocar Sports Club started their new year from where they left and recorded a 2-1 victory over Shillong Lajong at the Nehru Stadium here on Wednesday.

The defending champions were not at their best but goals from Ryuji Sueoka and Ishfaq Ahmed ensured the hosts walked away with full points.

Shillong Lajong had lost all of their previous matches here by big margins but on Wednesday they seemed to make a match out of this contest. Striker Christopher Iyikwobe brought the visitors back in the match with a gem of a goal to tie the match in the first session but his efforts counted for nothing in the end.

Salgaocar, as expected, started strongly with Ryuji Sueoka bringing the best out of goalkeeper Lalthuam Mawia early in the game. But while the Lajong goalkeeper was equal to the challenge at first, he could do nothing in the 19th minute when Ryuji, within handshaking distance, directed the ball into the goal after being nicely picked up by Francis Fernandes.

Lajong could not enforce their superiority but there was no doubting that striker Christopher was a constant threat upfront. The striker put his skills to good use in the 39th minute when he cut past two defenders, and then the goalkeeper, to bring his side on level terms.

Salgaocar continued with their attacks in the second session and got the match winner they had been hunting all along, when Ishfaq Ahmed did well to connect Ryuji’s measured cross from the right in the 52nd minute.

The hosts had at least two clear cut opportunities to inflate the lead but Edeh Chidi and Ishfaq Ahmed missed sitters.

The win took Salgaocar’s points tally to 19 while Shillong Lajong are stuck on 16 points.

Chirag United Kerala rode on goals from Asif K and David Sunday to beat complacent Mumbai FC 2-0, to earn three crucial points from the Round XIII of the I-League Football Championship at the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

Host Mumbai had themselves to blame for allowing Chirag United to dictate terms from the start and once the Kerala outfit was comfortable with the situation they never let go the advantage.

David Sunday played part in both the goals—after he set the first goal in the 14th minute that left the Mumbai defence in tatters. On Sunday’s cross in the middle found Vineeth, before Asif K grabbed the chance and slotted in the goal.

After the lemon break, substitute Jimshad U Babloo cut through the right wing with Sunday running parallel in the middle. Babloo went right in before releasing the ball for Sunday to complete a set-piece in 51st minute that broke Mumbai’s resilience.

Throughout the second half, Mumbai FC tried in vain as Gbeneme Friday wanted to do everything upfront, but ended up in flaring up tempers.

Chirag had begun aggressively from the start and their game-plan of catching Mumbai FC by surprise which paid off well—an early yellow card to Asif for pulling down Friday prove out to be no dampener.

Mumbai FC had just a few chances which if applied could have rattled Chirag, but then Wednesday wasn’t there day by any measure. Vineeth worked in upfront nicely keeping the Mumbai FC defence on toes.

Man-of-the-match was awarded to Chirag’s Asif K.

Mumbai FC remain at 10th position with 14 points, while there was no change at the bottom as Chirag United will stay on 12th spot despite improving their points tally to 11.

HAL Bangalore who are languishing at the bottom of the table played draw with Sporting Clube de Goa 2-2 in the crucial XIII Round of the I League Championship played at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Wednesday.

RC Prakash in 38th and Goutam Debnath in 50th minute scored for HAL Bangalore while Anthony D’Souza scored a brace in 33rd and 53rd minute for Sporting Clube.

Anthony D’Souza was declared the man of the match.

Sporting Clube now have 14 points from 13 matches while HAL Bangalore are at the bottom of the table with only 2 points from 13 outings.