BEML struck in the ninth minute through Nirmal Kumar, Kalandar doubled the lead in the 14th and Karthikeyan put the match beyond HASC’s reach with his 36th-minute strike. For HASC, captain J Murali reduced the deficit with in the 43rd minute.
This was HASC’s second loss in seven games as they remained on 13 points, while BEML’s third wins from eight matches took them to 12 points.
BEML cashed in on an error to surge ahead. HASC’s Vijesh Kumar made a mispass that was received by Nirmal, who made a solo run through the midfield to slot the ball past custodian Pramod.
Kalandar’s tap-in to secure the second goal off a Madhukaran cross put BEML firmly in control, and Karthikeyan completed the scoring for the winners in the 36th when he collected a cross from Nirmal to fire home to Pramod’s left.
With their supporters getting frustrated and their hopes fast receding, HASC had to go for broke. RC Prakash’s free-kick from the right side of the box saw Murali home in the 43rd minute to give his team some home. Constantly taunted by a frustrated fan, Murali made an inappropriate gesture towards the stand after scoring, earning himself a yellow card.
The second half was rather uneventful with BEML playing defensively to protect their two-goal lead and HASC squandering the few chances that they created. Prakash missed a header in the 62nd minute off a James Singh free-kick as the Aircraftmen settled for another defeat.
Earlier, MEG and CIL played out a goalless draw in a rematch of their game that was abandoned due to a water-logged pitch. MEG had been leading the June 25 match 3-0 when play was abandoned after 53 minutes. Despite the draw, MEG still lead the table with 19 points from seven matches while CIL have 16, also from seven.
Other results: ‘B’ Division: Sree Gajanana: 2 (Anthony 46th, Sharath 68th) bt Bangalore Kickers: 1 (Sandeep 48th); Universal: 4 (Pradeep Paul 2nd, Velu 35th, Arun 74th, Mahendra 79th) bt Queen Star: 2 (Punith 49th, Manju 71st).
