JOIN USMan-of-the-match Baljit found the back of the net twice in the 28th and 73rd minute respectively, while Ravinder Singh rounded off the tally in the 76th to end their winless run in the last five matches.
The win helped East Bengal (35 points) jump to the second place and reduce the margin against leaders Salgaocar to five points. The return of Mehtab Hossain, Penn Orji and experienced defender Uga Okpara bolstered East Bengal against JCT as they dominated the proceedings throughout.
Baljit scored his first from a Sanju Pradhan long ball as he dribbled past the JCT defence before his left-footed shot provided the much needed lead for the red-and-gold brigade. After a change of ends, Baljit scored his second goal after some good work from Orji who set it up for the unmarked striker to do the needful.
Having impressed in midfield, Ravinder got his name on the scoresheet when he fired home with a powerful right-footer after Tolgay had set hip up. JCT narrowly missed a chance to pull one back in second-half injury time after Gurtej Singh’s shot missed the target. In Margao, Kayne Vincent’s brace helped Churchill FC beat Mumbai FC 3-1.
Vincent found the back of the net in the 67th and 90th minutes after captain Odafa Onyeka Okolie had give the Goans the lead in the 16th through a penalty. Henry Ezeh scored the consolation goal for Mumbai FC in the 68th minute. In the battle of the bottom clubs Allan Dias scored the winner as Air India ran out 2-1 winners over ONGC.