Barasat: Sony Norde and Katsumi Yusa struck one each as Mohun Bagan downed Salgaocar 3-1 in an action-packed second-half to maintain their stronghold atop the table in the I-League football tournament at the Vidyasagar Krirangan here on Friday.
The second-half saw all the four goals as Denson Devadas gave Mohun Bagan the lead (51st) but within a minute the Goans brought the game on an even keel after Augustin Fernandes smashed in from close range from a freekick.
The city heavyweights, however, grabbed the lead in the 70th minute when Katsumi Yusa from a Norde corner as the Japanese snatched a loose ball from the rebound off Salgaocar goalkeeper Subrata Paul.
Norde then gave Mohun Bagan a commanding lead in the 85th minute when the Haitian recruit cut in from the left leaving two defenders for dead and fired in from just outside the box.
The win enabled the Mariners (24) establish a four-point lead over defending champions Bengaluru FC with one match in hand as Mohun Bagan also avenged their Federation Cup rout when they lost 1-4 to crash out.
The Mariners' win was, however, soured when five minutes into added time, Bikramjit Singh was sent off for a second yellow card. Daryl Duffy stepped up to take the freekick just on the edge of the box but only struck the wall.
It could have got even better for the Mariners as Sony Norde took a great freekick from the left as regulation time was over. Katsumi who was clear on the far post failed to head the ball onto the target.
Led by mercurial Trinidad and Tobago striker Cornell Glen, Shillong Lajong trounced Mumbai FC 6-0 to stop the losers' five-match unbeaten run at home this season in stunning fashion in the I-League clash at the Cooperage Ground.
The 33-year-old Trinidadian world cupper fired home the north easterners' first and fourth goals, once in either half, while Penn Orji and Zodingliana Ralte scored once each in regular time.
To add insult to injury, Brazilian Ulliams Souza Silva and Milan Singh came off the substitutes bench in the second half to fire home a goal each in added on time to complete Mumbai FC's total humiliation.
Port of Spain-born Glen notched his goals in the 21st and 51st minutes of the game and in between Orji (25th) scored to help the visitors take a 2-0 half time lead which was increased to 3-0 two minutes after resumption by Ralte.
The last two goals were notched in the 2nd and 3rd minutes of added on time.
The humiliating defeat left Mumbai FC - who dearly missed their Japanese midfielder Taisuke Matsugane who could not play because of a calf injury - in seventh spot on the table with 12 points, a rung above Lajong which moved up from the 10th spot to 8th following their spectacular display here.
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