Mohammedan Sporting exploited Salgaocar's discomfiture on slushy ground conditions to thrash the Goan side 5-0 and move into the semi-finals of the Tata Federation Cup football tournament in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The visitors found themselves at sea while negotiating the rain-fed turf at the Salt Lake stadium.
Sporting opened up a 3-0 lead at the breather, and pumped in two more goals in the latter session to carve out their most convincing win this season.
S K Sanjib and Dipendu Biswas scored a brace each, while Syed Rahim Nabi found the target once for Sporting, who will take on the winners of Friday's quarter-final clash between title-holders Mohun Bagan and JCT Mills.
Sporting, who have put up a dismal show in the ongoing Kolkata league this season, seemed a transformed side with Bungo Singh and Khaled Siddiqi playing constructive roles in the midfield, and strikers Biswas and Sanjib time and again creating terror in the rival defensive ranks.
Salgaocar, who coasted to a 4-0 win over Indian Bank, Chennai, in the pre-quarters, also paid a heavy price for a number of defensive lapses as they suffered one of their most humiliating setbacks in recent times.
