The Mohun Bagan Super Giant juggernaut continues to roll in ISL-XI.

Jose Molina’s men went past Punjab FC 3-0 — Jamie Maclaren in the 56th minute and 89th and Liston Colaco in the 63rd were the scorers — at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday. They are now all set to retain the League Shield. That will be a first in the ISL.

Bagan, by virtue of Wednesday’s win, became the first team to reach the playoffs. That was on expected lines, though.

After 20 matches they have 46 points, 12 more than second-placed Jamshedpur FC who have two games in hand. Jamshedpur FC can have a maximum of 52 points and Bagan would have to earn a point more than Khalid Jamil’s men in their remaining four matches.

The catch is Jamshedpur FC have a tough away assignment against Bengaluru FC on Sunday. A draw or loss for Jamshedpur FC will make Bagan’s job easier.

The Sunday result will make the picture clearer how many points Bagan would need. It could be less than 52. The chasing teams — Jameshpur and FC Goa — could also find it difficult to reach Bagan’s 46 points. In that context, these three points against Punjab FC — Bagan’s ninth win on the trot at home — are all the more significant.

After a barren first half, which saw Bagan’s Sahal Abdul Samad limping off the ground and Abhishek Suryavanshi taking his place, the local giants upped the ante in the second half and pumped in three goals much to the delight of the fans.

Two players caught the eye for Bagan. Dippendu Biswas, the right back, and substitute midfielder Suryavanshi. The 21-year-old Biswas is going from strength to strength with every game. His tackles, runs down the flank and courage give Indian football hope. Suryavanshi also thrived in the second half and not for a second did Bagan miss Sahal.

Captain Subhasish Bose also excelled on the left side and was adjudged player of the match even though he would not have complained if Biswas had got the award. The first goal came in the 56th minute. A cross from Biswas and Maclaren’s right-footed shot from the centre of the box found the bottom left corner.

The second came three minutes after the hour mark. Punjab FC goalkeeper Ravi Kumar could not stop Colaco’s right-footed shot from a difficult angle.

Initially, it was thought the ball had brushed Greg Stewart’s right thigh before nestling into the far post but television replays cleared the doubt.

In the 89th minute, Maclaren got his second and Bagan’s third. He capitalised on a defensive blunder by Punjab FC.