KOLKATA: There’s no stopping David Lalhlansanga as the Mizo striker’s remarkable scoring spree helped Mohammedan Sporting beat Emami East Bengal FC 2-1 at the Kishore Bharati Stadium on Wednesday and further secure their pole position in the CFL Super Six.
David — who won the Golden Boot in the recently-concluded Durand Cup and currently leading the scorers’ chart in the CFL Premier Division — was at it again on Wednesday, scoring a brace to put Mohammedan Sporting 2-0 up in the first half and setting the defending champions on the path of a crucial victory.
The victory — their second in a row in the Super Six stage — put Mohammedan Sporting firmly on top of the CFL standings with 35 points from 14 matches. East Bengal stayed second with 30 points, having played a game less.
This was also Mohammedan Sporting’s first win over the red-and-gold brigade since September 11 in 2018.
East Bengal entered the CFL championship round this term having negotiated the group stage with an unbeaten run and having accumulated the maximum points among the title rivals (30).
Given the gravity of the contest against Mohammedan Sporting, East Bengal coach Bino George included senior team members like Nandhakumar Sekar and Suhair VP in the starting line-up of their first Super Six match.
But David proved to be a thorn in their side as the young Mizo breached the rival defence within the opening five minutes and then doubled Mohammedan Sporting’s lead in the 37th minute.
Nandha reduced the margin in the 60th minute, converting a penalty earned by substitute Souvik Chakraborty. But it was not enough as East Bengal suffered their first defeat in the ongoing league.
