Scoring a goal in each half, star-studded Mohun Bagan defeated Viva Kerala 2-0 in the 11th round of the ONGC I-League tie at the Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Sunday.
Dominating the proceedings right from the start, the visitors seized the opportunity in the 35th minute when their captain Bhaichung Bhutia scored off a brilliant pass from Rehman Mondal.
Although Viva strikers Baba Tunde (Nigeria) and Wisdom Abbey (Ghana) tried their best to bring in the equaliser, the Kolkatans, including custodian Sangram Mukherjee, played extremely well to deny any scoring opportunities.
Substitute Ishaq Ahmed increased the margin for the visitors just before the final whistle.
Brazilian stars Douglass, adjudged man of the match, and Baretto played excellent soccer for Bagan.
With this win, Began have increased their overall tally to 17 points to be fourth in the table behind runaway leaders Dempo, JCT and Churchill Brothers while Viva with 12 points are left way behind in the seventh position in the 10-team league.
Viva Kerala will take on Mahindra in their next engagement here on January 24.
