Kolkata: Given a choice, Mohun Bagan Super Giant coach Antonio Lopez Habas would have surely liked to play the ISL derby on March 10. The Spanish coach would have preferred to go with the momentum after his boys brushed aside Jamshedpur FC 3-0 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday. Goals from Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings and Armando Sadiku saw the hosts record a comfortable victory and climb to second spot on the table with 33 points, just two behind leaders Odisha FC, who had played one game more.
It was Bagan’s Manvir Singh who made all the difference as JFC failed to stop his run down the right flank as the Punjab boy played his part in all the three goals. Manvir himself could have scored too, but failed to convert from close quarters.
Bagan went ahead early in the seventh minute as Joni Kauko found Manvir on the right who did well to find Petratos with a cutback. The Australian was quick enough to finish from inside the box finding the far corner of the goal.
The hosts could have increased the lead soon after but Liston Colaco’s effort was saved by goalkeeper TP Rehenesh.
Jamshedpur raised their game creating some good attacks but failed to find the back of the net.
In the second half, Deepak Tangri was shown the yellow card for a rough tackle and Habas brought in Aniruddh Thapa in his place. The change paid dividends as Cummings doubled the lead in the 68th minute. This time too, it was Manvir who found the Australian inside the box, who in turn put the ball into the far-corner of the net past a rushing Rehenesh.
Super-sub Armando Sadiku, coming in the 70th minute, sealed the game for Bagan by scoring in the 81st minute from inside the box after getting the ball from Manvir.