NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 1 - Clean slates for Dempo, East Bengal:
Dempo SC and East Bengal with clean slates hogged the headlines over the weekend in the VII National Football League. Experts who predicted this edition to be competitive had a "I-told-you" look on their faces. Results after two rounds - barring the matches involving JCT, Phagwara and Indian Bank - gave ample evidence of the cut throat nature of the league.
Both Dempo and EB, who played home matches, posted heartening wins. Dempo, third in the 2002 Goa Pro-League, first shocked Vasco and then accounted for Salgaocar to announce their return to the Elite-12 after a three-year lay off.
First they polished off Tollygunge Agragami and then handed Mahindra United their second consecutive 'away' loss. Interestingly EB are yet to conced a goal in the 180 minutes they have played. The defending champions despite the absence of injured stars Bhaichung Bhutia and Jose Ramirez Baretto won a point against a determined Vasco.
In the next match the B2 strikeforce returned to silence a 20,000 local crowd against runners-up Churchill Brothers. The match produced five goals and also saw the first self-goal of the tournament. The dubious distinction going to Bagan's Nigerian import Isa Musa Eroje.
With most of the action in the West and East Zones, action down South was minimal. Of the two matches played in South Zone one produced a surprise. Indian Bank, Chennai, out of the league since 1998, began on a high winning their 'away' tie against Indian Telephone Industries 2-1 with both goals coming from Sri Lankan import Imran Mohammed.
Imran, incidentally shares the scorers top-spot, among the 25 goal getters, with Manipur's Tomba Singh (Salgaocar SC).
The disappointments of the week were Mahindra United, Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers. All heavyweights failed when it mattered most. The interesting aspect of the league was the fact that of the 12 matches nine produced results.
Three encounters ended in draws which includes an all-at-home goalless show by Bangalore's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Sports Club and Indian Telephone Industries at the Bangalore Stadium.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 2 - Business as usual for East Bengal:
Surprises, individual brilliance and 'home game blues' marked the League this week. But all that was for the teams below the 'red hot' League leader East Bengal.
For the 2000-01 champs it was business as usual: East Bengal recorded their third win in as many games and it also meant that their goal-net had not been disturbed for 270 minutes now.
First the surprise. For Goa's Dempo SC, who shared the top-spot with E Bengal last week, their trip down South proved arduous. Dark horses Indian Bank ended the Goan team's winning streak by recording a 3-1 win.
Sayed Sabir Pasha's brace and Sri Lankan import Kasun Jeyasuriya's strike sent the South Indian team laughing all the way to the bank.
Goa's Vasco SC and Dempo SC put aside Bangalore outfits Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club (HASC) 3-1 and Indian Telephone Industries 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium while Mike Okoro led East Bengal to a win over JCT.
For the two teams involved in the AFC Championship, it was a disastrous return to the League. Indian Bank won a point against Churchill Bros courtesy Jeyasuriya's goal while for Mohun Bagan the outing at Salt Lake was nothing they would had dreamed after the fine show against South Korea's Tanjeon Citizen at the same ground. For Bagan the game against JCT proved tricky. Their star Nigerian import George Ekeh scored a hat-trick, but that was not enough for them to secure full points. The never-say-die Millmen came from behind to record a 3-3 draw. There was more bad news for Bagan. The star of the day and the league's top scorer Ekeh aggravated his shoulder injury and was stretchered off.
The week also made one wonder which unimaginative brain was responsible for drawing the NFL schedule. Bagan and Churchill were in action despite their AFC engagement while teams like Salgaocar SC, Mahindra United and Tollygunge Agragami had complete rest.
Ending on a positive note: The week saw 17 goals and that meant the League tally swelled to 44.
TABLE GAINERS: Indian Bank; Vasco SC; Churchill Bros, JCT (Phagwara) (2 places). LOSERS: HASC (3 places); Mohun Bagan (1 Place).

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 3 - Imported goods dominate local market:
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. This line quite easily sums up the week that was in the league. With most of the teams heavily relying on their 'priced' talent for goals, East Bengal yet again stole a march - their fourth in as many outings - to remain perched at the top. East Bengal's win, no hanky-panky this, was against Mohun Bagan, who otherwise have had a dreadful run, including a last-gasp, injury-time goal by Bhaichung Bhutia against Mahindra United in Mumbai.
Eight matches and just 11 goals - seven from non-desi players wraps up the over-dependence on these players. Such was the foreign influence that Vasco, who ran up their third win in-a-row and Hindustan Aeronautics SC, who logged their first victory, profited the most. Marcos Perreira's dual-strike helped Vasco dump Indian Bank 2-1 in their 'home' match that also saw Kasun Jeyasuriya's (IB) equaliser earning the credit for being the 50th goal of the league. Perreira thus joined the 'Elite Brace of Goals' club alongside Imran Mohammed and Sayed Sabir Pasha (both Indian Bank) and Harvinder Singh (JCT). Vasco then had Perreira's Brazillian counterpart Rui Wanderlei Weiz lay Salgaocar low to leapfrog into the contender segment of the NFL. Salgaocar's loss meant that in Goa they have had mixed luck after winning 2-0 against Indian Telephone Industries (ITI).
HASC moved up handing JCT their third defeat of the championship. Uzbek striker Raja Baliev Nurlan, incidentally, completed ITI's job. JCT, with five matches and just a couple of points, have still to figure out what in the world went wrong as so far they have been entertainers in away matches.
High-profile Mahindra United were not impressive and played out a goalless draw with Dempo, the first in Goa to have ended without the scoreboard moving. The draw again was one of the two 'no-goal' shows of the week with ITI-JCT ending in a stalemate. The team to have an extended vacation off the field was Tollygunge Agragami, who kept away from match day for the second week (they last played on November 21)!
A fair idea of the foreign flavour can be brought to light that barring the two goalless matches, five matches have had at least one foreigner find himself on the scorers' list. East Bengal quite in contrast had both their goals scored through Indians - Subashish Roy Chaudhary and Alvito D'Cunha.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 4 - Top team maintain status quo:
JCT, Phagwara spun themselves out of the jinxed 'away match syndrome', while Churchill Brothers (Goa) stole a point from mighty East Bengal. The week - with showcased just five matches - saw the top seven team retain their position on the league table. The only difference from last week being that of East Bengal, who swelled their tally to five points leaving Vasco SC contemplating the draw they registered against Mahindra United.
The Kolkata giants - like most of the teams that played during the week - missed chances galore and settled for a goalless draw. However, their next visitors - Salgaocar were not as fortunate to benefit as they went down by an odd goal thanks to a Mike Okoro strike in injury-time.
If Churchill had the distinction of arresting East Bengal's winning streak, Salgaocar SC became the first team in the league to bulge their net when Nigerian Dudu Omagbemi McPierson netted with a 'reflex' action finish.
At the Guru Nanak Stadium (Ludhiana), JCT finally earned themselves a win. Here too their Mohun Bagan 'hero' Harvinder Singh did the 'bail out job'. JCT's win thus leaves Churchill Brothers and Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) 'winless' after Round Six and Five respectively.
The most unfortunate team of the week was Tollygunge Agragami who squanderd three glorious points and a chance to enter the top-half of the league. Ten minutes from time, Mehtab Hosain missed a penalty to deny them victory.
Three drawn ties - one goalless, two 'home' wins would present a 'close' week, however on the flip side it was again the foreign imports who scored most of the goals. Seven out of 12 strikes came from foreigners.

PLAYER PICK: Marcos Pereira/Vasco SC
EACH goal he claims is "God Blessed." A brace against MU helped the ebony complexioned 29-year-old Brazilian displace Mohun Bagan's George Ekeh from the Top Scorers mantle. The Rio de Janerio-born forward now has five goals to his credit. His dual-strike incidentally was his second - the first coming against Indian Bank.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Vasco SC vs Mahindra Utd (Nehru Stadium/ Goa)
FOUR goals in a match that finally spelt disappointment for the home team. Vasco, with just two minutes left for full time, gifted Mahindra United a point. Though full credit to the Mumbai outfit, who put up a determined show. The Goan team's defence that wilted under pressure a minute from the end. The final verdict 2-2 after MUs Abhishek Yadav delivers the coup-de-grace.

OFF THE FIELD: These kind of matches are generally decided by the performance on the day. Who knows, we might just spring a surprise - Savio Mederia (Salgaocar SC ahead of their match against East Bengal).

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 5 - Bagan show all the way:
Two hat-tricks, an equal percentage of 'away' wins and reports of India's first-ever pro-player Bhaichung Bhutia 'out' of action for six weeks due to injury could not be the best sum-up of action. However, amidst the tug-of war for points the pick of the lot were: promoted Dempo SC (Goa), Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers (Goa); Reason: maintaining cent percent records. On merit, however, the Kolkata team gets top-priority after recording two 'away' wins. First they crashed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited courtesy: George Ekeh's hat-trick, his second in the league and then it was Jose Ramirez Baretto who packed full-points from their Southern sojourn at the expense of Indian Telephone Industries. Bagan's second in command last year - Churchill Bros., winless after five matches, stunned Mahindra United at the Cooperage. The win for the Goan team left ITI - who incidentally was Churchill's second profitable mission, the only team after seven rounds to not record a victory. ITI, barring Vasco who they still have to play, thus have been easy meal for the Goan teams. Having spent two years out of Elite League action, Dempo SC's objective as coach Armando Colaco puts it "we want to remain." The views may sound modest, but on-field Dempo have been the darkhorses so far. A comprehensive 4-1 win against Tollygunge Agragami followed by an equally satisfying day out against HAL, thanks to some inept 'keeping by Subash Kumar, who was playing his first league tie. Teams that would like to forget the week, apart from ITI, include HASC and Chennai-based Indian Bank. The latter losing to Salgaocar 4-2 with Nigerian Dudu Omagbemi delivering the knock-out punch to joining Club 'Trick. The match also equalled the highest match aggregate of the season. With 26 goals netted from nine matches the average per match was the best so far in the league. The saddening part however was that 16 of the goals were by non desi players.

TABLE GAINERS: Dempo SC (1 place. Last week: 3rd); Mohun Bagan (3 places. Last week: 6th); Churchill Bros (4 places. Last week: 10th); JCT Mills (2 places. Last week 9th); Tollygunge (1 place. Last week 11th).
TABLE LOSERS: Vasco SC (2 places. Last week: 2nd); Indian Bank (4 places. Last week: 4th); Mahindra Utd (1 place. Last week: 8th).

PLAYER PICK
George Ekeh/ Mohun Bagan
At the start of the league, Ekeh would have wondered 'would I ever score', an understandable thought after all he was up against the high-profile Bhaichung Bhutia and the prolific Jose Ramirez Baretto. However, six matches that he has figured in for Bagan has made him Mr Prolific. Seven goals of the 12 Bagan are from this Nigerian. Quite a 'something' to boast!

GAME OF THE WEEK
Vasco SC v East Bengal/ Nehru Stadium (Goa)
For East Bengal, the match was an acid test for two reasons starting with the fact that they were playing outside Kolkata for the first time. Proof that they were 'deserving table leaders' was necessary. With coach Subash Bhowmick expressing his target of 10 wins, Vasco, his opponents, were surely to not let that happen. Alvito D'Cunha, groomed in Goa, silenced his own crowd early before Marcos Perreira gave the home crowd reason to go back content on Goa Liberation Day.

OFF THE FIELD
It's a big relief after the win. A collective effort I must say, coach Marcos Pacheco, on Churchill Brothers win over ITI.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 6 - Dempo SC spark off Goan carnival:
Dempo SC, Goa could well fit the Silent Killer tag. If survival in the League was their 'only priority' when they set off their campaign, anything else was a bonus. With the League one-third (47 matches) complete, the race to the top had Dempo gain pole position _ a first, after Kolkata giants East Bengal enjoyed the position for one and a half month. In fact, the Goan team, with a win over JCT, Phagwara at home _ courtesy Sameer Naik's 30-yarder - profited from East Bengal's sudden choke in fortunes 'away' in Chennai. The Kolkata Super League winners, who were expected to have it easy against Indian Bank, found themselves in Operation Salvage. Three goals on the trot by the IB's Sri Lankan import Kasun Jeyasuriya, put E Bengal on the mat before they managed to steal a point and keep their unbeaten slate clean. Jeyasuriya's 'trick, the fourth so far, thus waltzed him into second place on the Top Scorers list, while the match - the third to produce six goals - got listed under Most Goals in a Match. The match also turned up the 100th goal of the championship, after the visitors medio Chandan Das netted his sides second goal. E Bengal's slip-up meant a chance for Dempo to sign off the year as leaders. Four days later they did so, with their sixth win. If the bankmen were East Bengal's Shakers, Tollygunge Agragami handed defending champs Mohun Bagan The Shocker, which incidentally was the latters second loss.
On the 'away' front Salgaocar SC completed their Mumbai job, handing Mahindra United their fourth loss and second at home. The depleted Mumbai side realising it was going to be now-or-never decided to fill-up their fourth foreigner slot bringing in Brazillian Nei.
With the Kolkata teams succumbing, the week - featuring all teams - saw the Goan teams earn full profit. Churchill Bros. at home sent Hindustan Aeronautics Limited crashing for their third win in-a-row, while Vasco SC playing in Bangalore were the 'luckiest' to earn full marks from Indian Telephone Industries. ITI - winless still - after trailing by a Jules Alberto Dias goal, to their disaster saw Akshay Das become the second played join Isa Musa Eroje (Mohun Bagan) in the Self Goal Band. With Vasco being reduced to nine, Mohammed Najeeb ended ITI's No Goal Show after seven matches!
On the point of Indian players, the week was profitable. For once the Indians matches their 'valued' counterparts netting six of the 12 scored.

GAME OF THE WEEK
Tollygunge v Mohun Bagan/ Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
For the elite of the Maidan, Tolly has always been a bogey team. Bagan are a "big side," admitted Tolly coach Aloke Mukherjee. His counterpart Subrata Bhattacharya, knowing of the task on hand ended up bedazzled. Tolly, knowing they must win to remain in the Elite League, played the waiting game before Ashim Biswas put an end to Bagan's carried forward two-match 'away' winning streak.

PLAYER PICK
Ashim Biswas/ Tollygunge Agragami
The Mohun Bagan coach would have surely agreed to "I warned you, keep him on the leash." Ashim, the India under-20 star symbolised David against Goliath (Mohun Bagan) as depicted in the biblical story. The strikers' knock-out punch - a diving header - was a case of putting head to matter after finding himself in the right place and time.

OFF THE FIELD
It is just not possible to dream of the title with this set of defenders - Subrata Bhattacharya, the Mohun Bagan coach after his loss to Tolly.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 7 - Coach's choice: Mondol:
The League, for once, took a back seat and instead the off-the-ball activity held centerstage. A 21-day break owing to the forthcoming SAFF Cup in Bangladesh saw three teams do some catching up work.
As a result, teams at this juncture are uniformly placed having completed eight matches each. With the results not making any serious impact on the Top Six positions, Indian Bank - who profited the most - scaled up the standings with a solitary goal win over Tollygunge Agragami at home.
In fact, Tolly ever since they pulled off a shocker win over Mohun Bagan have not had the best of runs since then. A 3-1 loss to Bagan in the all-Airlines final, followed by the loss to the bankmen was not the end they had planned before the New Year.
However, keeping behind those bitter memories, they began their new year registering their first win 'away' against Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore. The win for Tolly was creditable as they were without their prolific scorer Ashim Biswas and coach Aloke Mukherjee, who instead were with the Indian camp at Kolkata.
Indian Bank thus leapfrogged to seventh position, while Tolly trailed in a slot lower. The week also had the AIFF announce East Bengal defender Deepak Mondol Footballer of the Year which, for many came, as a surprise. However, AIFF Secretary was quick to inform that he was "selected as per Stephan Constantine (Indian coach) recommendations."
Meanwhile, the so-far-so-good League came under scrutiny in terms of players' fitness. Two days into the camp and Constantine, who harps on fitness as the key to success, seemed irked during the camp. "Seven to eight rounds should have had players in their prime," he remarked.
There was also some good news for Mahindra United. With heavy investments made, Mahindras have not had a successful run. However, the week saw Constantine name defender Debjit Ghosh as skipper for the SAFF Cup. In fact, blame the league or whatever India, the defending champs in the SAFF Cup, would be without four key players - Bhutia, Mondol, defender Mahesh Gavli and medio Tomba Singh.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 8 - East Bengal on Cloud Nine:
Undefeated so far East Bengal, champions of the fifth edition in 2000-01, is having a ball of a time. With 11 wins under their belt, the Kolkata side, statistically, need just 11 points - from the remaining seven rounds - to win emerge League champs.
Having dropped from the pole-position just once - after Round Eight, courtesy Dempo SC, East Bengal have become a team with no mood to compromise. Ever-since the league began, after a 25-day break due to the SAF Championship, E Bengal have just dropped two points after Dempo held them 2-2 in Goa. Seven rounds since the third week of January this year has seen E Bengal get better and in fact boast of a 73.33 win-percentage. For coach Subash Bhowmick, the success mantra reads "don't tax the players, and things will fall in place."
However, with Bhowmick sounding relaxed E Bengal during this phase of the league (read: seven rounds) have been phenomenal. For starts E Bengal and HASC were involved in an eight-goal feast - the highest goal tally in a match - at the latters ground. Striker Mike Okoro, who accounted for one goal in this match, since then has helped his team with nine more. With 13 goals in his kitty, the Nigerian has taken his tally to 13 making him the top-scorer in the League. Okoro along with Alvito D'Cunha added their names to Club Hat-Trick recording their feats against HASC in Kolkata and Bangalore respectively.
With E Bengal opening up a ten-point advantage over second placed Salgaocar, their citymates Mohun Bagan and Tollygunge have had contrasting runs. Bagan, the defending champions, after beginning well with resounding wins at 'home' against Indian Bank and Dempo, failed to complete a hat-trick of wins suffering shock reverse to most-improved-team Salgaocar, before sharing points with Tollygunge.
Against the bankmen, Brazillian Jose Ramirez Barreto, in his fourth season with Bagan, recorded his 100th goal and was quick to dedicate it to his fans.
Likewise, two matches later, Bagan were blessed back with the return of star striker Bhaichung Bhutia, who after a two-month lay-off came on as a substitute against Mahindra United at 'home'. Though not making much impact, Bhutia, in his next match in Goal against Salgaocar impressed scoring the only goal of the match, to silence a 20,000-strong Goan crowd. "It was a wonderful finish and that's why Bhutia is special," acknowledged Salgaocar coach Savio Madeira.
With E Bengal clear of the pack, the League is interestingly place from position 2-6 with Salgaocar, Bagan, Vasco SC, surprise entrant JCT (Phagwara) and Dempo SC one-point adrift of each other.
Salgaocar barring the Bagan glitch home maintained a good record, but the surprise package was JCT who like Salgaocar kept picking up points, which included a huge 6-2 win over Mahindra United in Ludhiana. JCT thus joined Bagan an Tollygunge in the Big Margin Win Club. Incidentally, Bagan figure in this club twice. Runners-up Churchill Brothers head the bottom half of the league, which includes a depleted Mahindra United. Mahindras, placed 10th, so far have been the biggest disappointment, which has led to the sacking of coach Czech coach Karel Stromsik and the management now simply thinking of a Top-Six finish.
With Mahindras struggling, that include not being able to fetch a win in their 'home' matches, relegation stares straight in the faces of the Bangalore-based ITI and HASC. The former is still to record a win in the league!

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 9:
Kolkata Super Division winners East Bengal could well be deemed winners. The league - onto its last run of matches - saw the Kolkata side maintain their 'dream run' gaining maximum points from the two encounters they played. Running high on confidence, East Bengal without several key players including their one-man-demolition striker Mike Okoro, owing to double bookings, did well to quell Tollygunge Agragami to take their win record to 13 and thus maintain their stranglehold on the league.
Victory over Tolly came just days after the red-gold brigade handed Mohun Bagan their second defeat in the league, the match also saw Okoro net his 14th goal. With East Bengal sitting comfortable atop the standings, the focus now shifts onto the second position. Salgaocar SC, who were in the reckoning, after Round 15 dropped four points, playing out draws with last years runners-up Churchill Brothers in a 'hotly' contested match and then rallied to hold JCT, Phagwara and thus denied the Punjab team a chance of breaking into the Top-Three.
The Salgaocar-Churchill match saw the formers' 'keeper Kalyan Choubey - back to club duty after a stint of professional football in Germany, and Churchill's Ghanian striker Yusif Yakubu engage themselves in an on-field argument. With things seeming to settle down, the "unsatisfied" Yakubu went one-step ahead by assaulting Choubey in the Salgaocar dressing room. His act left the Salgaocar management fuming and rumours of "pulling out" from the rest of the matches were heard all along the week. However, all's well that ends well, the AIFF stepped in to hand Yakubu a one-match suspention.
Vasco, third till last week, utalised Salgaocar's slip-up and impressed, posting wins over Indian Bank (4-1) in an 'away' encounter and then avenged Dempo's first-leg loss with a 2-0 verdict. Swelling their tally by six, Vasco now occupies independent second place. Incidentally, Dempo - leaders of the league after the first-leg - is yet to win a match in the second-leg.
Defending champions Mohun Bagan recovered from the East Bengal reverse and handed Churchill a 3-0 spanking at home to occupy fourth place behind Vasco and Salgaocar respectively.
For Mumbai heavyweights Mahindra United it was the 'best week' in months. Two wins, first against Dempo (2-0) at 'home' and then a huge 5-0 win over destined-to-relegation ITI helped them gain some confidence. Victory for Mahindras were made possible by Ednei Jose Damasio who netted three of the seven. The Brazillian who was introduced for the second-leg matches thus has 10 goals from nine matches. ITI's nightmare run continued as they continued to occupy the last place in the league and that too without a win so far.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 10 - E Bengal defeat brings life to League:
YOU win some, you lose some, is sport defined simply.
The National Football League, with just four rounds to go, sprung into life with some surprise results and thus renewed interest; especially seeing that East Bengal have caused it to be a one-team-show all the way. If winning helped EB grab headlines, their downfall did so equally, for it came after a 17-match unbeaten run. The Guru Nanak Dev University ground, Ludhiana, bore testimony to their defeat at the hands of inaugural NFL winners JCT, Phagwara. Victory for the home side extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and in the process put them in the reckoning with Vasco SC, Salgaocar SC and Mohun Bagan for a second place finish.
Overall, the week was disappointing for the Kolkata sides as both defending champs Mohun Bagan and Tollygunge Agragami fell to visitors Vasco SC and Mahindra United at home. Bagan, in fact, were trailing 0-3 at one stage before they rallied twice, while Tolly, after taking the lead, lost in the last minute of play.
ITI Bangalore could well start thinking of rebuilding their side for next year. Figuring twice during the week, ITI did well to log their first win over counterparts Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The win that came after 16 matches was made possible by substitutes Jiten Rai and Louis Nickson late into the second-half. However, their next match was a blooper.
Indian Bank, Chennai, aided by a hat-trick by their Sri Lankan import Kasun Nadig Jeyasuriya - his second this year - hammered a 6-1 verdict. Indian Bank thus moved out of relegation zone and need just one more point to make sure that they cannot get relegated. ITI, however, have lost all chances of staying in the Premier Division. Citymates HAL have to win all their remaining matches and hope Indian Bank lose all theirs to retain their place. In Goa, last-years top-scorer Yusif Yakubu (Churchill Brothers) became the sixth player to join the hat-trick club, guiding his team to a 5-0 verdict over Indian Bank. The win was Churchill's biggest so far, while Yakubu's effort put him on par with Mike Okoro (East Bengal) as the league top-Scorer with 14 goals.
The league takes a one-month break from today onwards, as the Indian team prepares for the Asia Cup and Pre-Olympic tournaments scheduled later this month and early April respectively.

NFL WEEKLY REVIEW # 11 - East Bengal on course for title:
Come what may, East Bengal in no way can be denied the title. The Kolkata team is now within shaking hands of the title, needing just one point to seal the pole position.
With their quest for the title temporarily hitting the pits, with JCT, Phagwara, and Mahindra United bringing them down to earth, the former champs got back to winning ways accounting for Indian Bank. The title chasers added another feather to their cap when Mike Okoro's brace on Sunday made him the top-scorer of the league so far with 16 points.
Vasco, who play E Bengal next, continued their good run whipping already relegated Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), while Dempo SC jumped up two places with a 'shock' win over JCT, Phagwara.
In the week earlier for the first time, since the league began, Kolkata teams failed to win a point.
With Mahindra United disposing off East Bengal to avenge their 'away' victory. JCT, continued their fine run at home and bettered upon the draw they played out earlier defeating defending champs Mohun Bagan. Likewise, Tollygunge Agragami's trip to Goa was spoilt by Churchill Brothers Ghanian import Yusif Yakubu.
Incidentally, Yakubu - the top scorer in the previous edition of the league - took his individual tally to 15 goals and shares second position in the Top Scorer list with Vasco SC's Marcos Perreira. For Tolly, the loss meant a lot it would be between them, Indian Bank and Hindustan Aeronautics SC (HASC) that the second team would be decided.
With Kolkata soccer fans having little to cheer about, their counterparts in Goan had every reason to rejoice during Lent! Vasco, with an outside chance of winning the league, that's if they keep winning and hope East Bengal lose, registered the highest win of the NFL since it began in 1996-97, with HASC being the slaughter lambs.
The match, played at the Nehru Stadium, also saw Agnelo Gomes net the highest individual score in a match in a span of just 11 minutes. The diminutive striker, included later in the line-up struck four goals. His 'trick was the ninth so far. Dempo, after three consecutive defeats, recorded their best score hammering Indian Bank 5-1 in the Battle of Qualifiers. Salgaocar - the only Goan team to play away handed ITI defeat.
Overall the entire week saw teams play with the 'sole' aim of bettering their positions on the table.