Naihati (West Bengal), Mar 12 (PTI) Mohammedan Sporting scored a hard-fought 3-2 win against Churchill Brother to open up an eight-point lead against second-placed Sreenidi Deccan following an I-League match here on Tuesday.

Mohammedan Sporting are comfortably placed at the top of the table with 44 points from 19 matches, while Churchill Brothers are stuck at 23 points after 19 outings with five more rounds to go.

While Eddie Hernandez (28′, 33′) and F Lalremsanga (75′) scored for Mohammedan Sporting, Stendy Fernandes (10′) and Martin Chavez (51′, penalty) were on target for Churchill.

Churchill took charge early and when the opening goal came in the 10th minute, it didn’t come as a surprise.

Lalremruata’s run was seemingly brought to an end by Mohamed Irshad but the clearance landed in front of midfielder Stendly Fernandes, who let the ball fly into the bottom left corner to give the visitors the lead.

Sporting scored the equaliser in the 28th minute, when Alexis Gomez conjured up a through ball with Eddie Hernandez barely having to tap it in from five yards out.

Five minutes later, Sporting took the lead through Hernandez, who put in a lot of power in his header after receiving an aerial cross from Lalremsanga on the right.

But Churchill hit back in the second half after being awarded a penalty six minutes into the second half following Zodingliana’s foul on Lalremruata.

Martin Chaves scored the spot kick to draw level.

Just when it seemed the match would end in a stalemate, Lalremsanga scored the most unlikely of goals. The Mizo winger shot feebly at the goal in the 75th minute with the ball bouncing in front of a diving Subhasish Roy Chowdhury before hitting the inside of the post and rolling in.

Source: PTI News