Thiruvananthapuram: Twenty-nine-time winner Bengal improved their chances of entering the quarter final league, scoring an emphatic 3-0 victory over Andhra Pradesh in a cluster VIII league match of the 60th Santosh Trophy Football Championship here on Monday.

With this win, star-studded Bengal, who were held 2-2 in the opening match against Nagaland, have four points.

Dipendu Biswas netted the first goal in the eighth minute. He made no mistake in connecting the pass from left winger Syed Rahim Nabi.

A combined move of Nabi, Dipendu and Sasthi Duley, in the 64th minute, saw Nabi successfully score the team’s third goal.

Raman Vijyan, substituted for Biswas in the 70th minute, missed three chances. However, a cross ball passed by him came to Andhra’s Mohammed Majidh Khan, and while trying to steer it away, he managed to find the post. The rebound was converted by Nabi into Bengal’s third goal.

Meanwhile in Kozhikode, Goa ? riding striker Freddy Mascarenhas’ double hattrick and a hattrick from Nicholas Rodrigues ? thrashed Tripura 15-0 in a cluster VII match.

The victors were 9-0 ahead at half-time.

Clifford Miranda gave them the lead when he neatly hit a free-kick into the net in the eighth minute. Then Anthony Pereira connected a pass from Mascarenhas in the 17th before the latter himself came up with a long range goal a minute later.

From then on, it was all Mascarenhas who scored in the 22nd and 28th minute. Tripura’s Rajib Ghosh was shown a red card.

Even as Nichlau Borges came up with a brace in the 35th and 38th minutes Mascarenhas took over once again to register another hattrick in the 39th, 42nd and 54th minutes. A minute later, Pereira completed a double when he stunned Tripura goalkeeper Sujat Ali.

Nicholas Rodrigues then picked up a hattrick in the 63rd, 69th and 83rd minutes while substitute Alvito Rodrigues scored in the last minute to complete Tripura’s agony.