Rangdajied United FC continued their incredible run with a 3-1 victory over Mohun Bagan AC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, on Saturday, their third consecutive win as they put plenty of space between them and the relegation zone.

The hosts put three goals past the Mariners within 38 minutes before Odafa Okolie pulled one back for the visitors. Tomba Singh opened the goal fest in the 20th minute before Kim Song Yong and Ranti Martins added two more.

The first goal was a stunning long-range effort by Tomba from just inside the Bagan half. Captain Eugeneson Lyngdoh took the ball deep on the left and crossed it in for star striker Martins. He could not get a clean shot and the ball ended up in Tomba’s possession. Setting himself up brilliantly, he fired in the ball to the left of goalkeeper Sandip Nandy, who got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out of the net.

Rangdajied made it 2-0 via a set-piece in the 35th minute. A free kick on the right saw Nandy fail to collect the ball and Kim tapped it in with a low shot.

That was the first of three quick goals as a defensive collapse by the Mariners saw Martins make it 3-0. Lyngdoh was with the ball just outside the box in the centre but did not take a strike. The ball was not cleared, however, and Kim and Martins went up the left unmarked. The Nigerian got there first and hammered the ball home.

It was not as though Mohun Bagan were being completely outplayed. They were attacking up front, with Odafa posing a danger. The lone forward partnered with Christopher Chizoba and got well away from the RUFC defenders. It was then all a matter of getting past keeper Surjay Kumar Pariyar and Odafa easily guided the ball in.

Half time ended 3-1 and the Mariners came out fighting in the second. While the visitors were in a hurry spent a lot of time in trying to slow the game down.

The two main highlights of the session were the mad scrambles in the Rangdajied goalmouth that were somehow rebuffed, causing the more frustration to the visitors.

It was far from pretty, but the defending of the hosts were good enough to put Bagan off until the final whistle, earning the Blues a second victory over Bagan this season.

(Report & Picture courtesy AIFF Media)