Mohammed Rafi and Murritala Ali scored two goals each to guide Mahindra United to a convincing 4-1 win over defending champion Churchill Brothers in the 14th round of the I-League football tournament played at Nehru Stadium in Margao on Wednesday.
The victory propelled Mahindra to the second spot with 25 points from 14 matches. They are now behind table-topper Dempo Sports Club, who have 26 points from 13 matches.
Mahindra, who led 1-0 at the half time, scored through Rafi (16th, 70th minutes) and Ali (56th and injury time) to post a convincing win over their formidable rivals.
Viva Kerala, Salgaocar play out 1-1 draw
Viva Kerala settled for a 1-1 draw against Salgaocar Sporting Club in their first third leg home ground encounter of the ONGC I-league football match in Kozhikode on Wednesday.
Desperate for a win, the Salgaocar team struck first as Viva Kerala goal-keeper Sharath K failed to grab the ball pushed by Goan striker Ekene M Ikenva in the 14th minute.
The equaliser for the home team came as Viva captain Sakeer M P struck a neat goal in the 54th minute.
In their next match, Viva Kerala will take on Dempo Sporting Club, Goa here on March 8.