Mapusa (GOA): Sporting Clube de Goa recorded their third successive victory as they blanked bottom-placed Rangdajied United FC 3-0 to move to fourth place in an I-League match played at Duler stadium here on Thursday.
Sporting, who led 2-0 at half time, scored through Ogba Kalu (13th minute), Deepak Devrani (31st) and Boima Karpeh (71st).
The win takes Sporting Clube de Goa to 10 points from five matches, the same as Salgaocar FC and Pune FC.
Rangdajied United remain at the bottom with two points from six matches.
Sporting coach Oscar Bruzon, looking for a hat-trick of wins, made only one change in his side that earlier beat Mohun Bagan by bringing in Devrani in place of Joyner Lourenco.
Rangdajied coach Santosh Kashyap, on the other hand, looking for their first win, made two changes bringing in Pratik Chowdhury and Sandesh Gadkari in place of Edmar Figueira and Nagen Tamang.
Sporting started on an attacking note and had an early chance to surge ahead when Jovel Martins’ cross from the left had Karpeh in a good position to head the ball, but the striker sent it wide from the edge of the six yards.
Rangdajied goalkeeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar came to his side’s rescue twice as he denied another header by Karpeh and Kalu’s shot off the rebound with Martins once being the provider.
However, RUFC’s defence finally crumbled when Cajetan Fernandes’ corner from the left was headed down by Rowllin Borges, with the ball falling in the path of Kalu who poked the ball past Suriyar in the 13th minute.
Sporting kept the pressure on and increased the lead in the 31st minute when Devrani rose high from an unmarked position to head the ball into the far corner of the net from a flag-kick taken by Fernandes from the left.
The second half lacked goalmouth action at either end.
Sporting, who looked more dominant, came with raids with Kalu sending his header wide in the 66th minute.
Minutes later the Rangdajied citadel crumbled again when Fernandes released Karpeh, who cut past the onrushing Pariyar before slotting the ball home to make it 3-0 in the 71st minute.
Substitute Victorino Fernandes then had a glorious chance to score in the 82nd minute after being played upfront by Deepak Devrani.
The Sporting substitute instead attempted to square the ball to Karpeh as Thomas Saikhom’s clearance almost rolled in his own net but was kept our by Pariyar, who did well to parry Victorino’s shot off the rebound.
The Blues have now lost four of their matches and have yielded 14 goals in the first six matches of their debut season.
Mohammedan earn 1 pt
Meanwhile, in the other match of the day, Mohammedan Sporting and United SC played out a goalless draw in a Kolkata derby.
United played with 10 men after defender Bello Rassaq was sent off after receiving two yellows.
Mohammedan now have four points and are in 10th place in the standings, while United move up a spot to fifth, displacing Shillong Lajong FC. (PTI)