Defending champion Churchill Brothers today defeated Viva Kerala 2-0 in the second round of the third edition of the I-league football at Tilak Ground, Vasco.

The first win takes the Goan outfit to four points from two matches. Churchill, who drew their first match against Mahindra United, struck early when Reisangmi Vashum scored in the 2nd minute.

The early goal propelled Churchill to attack the rivals frequently. Striker Odafe Okolie, who was marked closely, increased the lead to 2-0 before the interval.

However, Churchill received a setback when Okolie, their main goal getter, was shown red card minutes before the half time when he deliberately elbowed defender Charles Dzisiah.

The second half belonged to Viva Kerala as they were in possession of the ball most of the time but failed to penetrate the rival's defence. They had chances to score but wayward shooting exposed their lack of experience.

Churchill were further reduced to nine men when Naveen Kumar got marching order from referee Dipak Singh for handling the ball deliberately.