Bagan hammer champions Bengaluru
The dethroned Mohun Bagan ended their campaign on a high with a 5-0 rout of champions Bengaluru FC to finish at the second place in the Hero I-League.
Having annexed their second I-League title after a 2-0 win over Salgaocar FC last Sunday, Ashley Westwood's wards were a complete mismatch as Mohun Bagan seized the opportunity with 'Hero of the match' Cornell Glenn leading the hammering with his double strike in the 8th, 66th minutes in front of an empty Stadium.
Lenny Rodrigues (21st), Luciano Sabrosa (23rd) and Azharuddin Mallick (28th) struck in space of seven minutes in the first-half to hand them a commanding lead as it was a sour ending for Bengaluru who were reduced to 10 players in the second-half.
Despite the big win, Mohun Bagan had to be content with the second place, two behind Bengaluru FC, also the 201314 winners who finished atop the table with 32 points from 16 matches.
Yet to win from five matches that cost them their title defence, Mohun Bagan started on an aggressive note with the Trinidad and Tobago World Cupper giving an early lead after Sony Norde found space on the left and crossed it to the unmarked Glen.
What followed minutes later was a flurry of goals as Rodrigues doubled the lead with Norde and Katsumi Yusa setting it brilliantly.
Sabrosa headed one home before Mallick made his presence felt capitalising on a lapse by Bengaluru goalkeeper Amrinder as Mohun Bagan had a 4-0 lead at the break.
There was more misery in store for the champions as their central defender Keegan Pereira was sent off in the 50th minute following a second yellow.
Exploiting Bengaluru's weak defence, Glen prodded the ball into an empty net after being set up by Yusa from left.
From a well-worked move, Jeje Lalpekhula made it 6-0 against Bengaluru's weak defence in the 71st minute but only to be ruled offside.
Glen had a golden opportunity to complete a hattrick in the dying minutes from a loose ball but it was a weak leftfooter that only managed to find Amrinder on the way.