Guwahati: Mohun Bagan started their AFC Cup Group G campaign in style with a 5-2 win against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, here, on Wednesday.

Bagan rode a brace each by Jeje Lalpekhlua and Cornell Glen, while Sony Norde scored one. On the other hand, the visitors got one goal through striker Imaaz Ahmed with the other being an own goal by defender Raju Gaikwad.

Sanjay Sen's men led 3-0 in the first half with Haitian recruit Norde opening the account in the in the 18th minute, followed by one each from Jeje and Glen.

Sony found the target for Bagan with a free-kick from the top of the box that curved in. Bagan got the free-kick for Mohamed Samdhooh's foul to Sony for which the former was shown a yellow card.

Sony was instrumental in the second goal as well when his centre from the right flank was placed perfectly into the net by Jeje in the 32nd minute. Jeje struck his second in the game in the 69th minute, capitalising on a defence lapse by the rival side.

Glen, finally, ended his five-match goal drought with a brace in the 35th and 71st minutes. He cashed in on the opposition's defensive errors on both the occasions.

Coach Sen's ploy to bring in Kean Lewis in place of Sony in the second session proved a meaningful one, as Kean proved to be handy in both the goals that Bagan got post change of ends.

Striker Imaaz Ahmed then reduced the margin for the visitors in the 61st minute. He got a pass from Easa Ismail who operated from the right flank and made no mistake in tapping in the ball home from inside the box.

Bagan conceded the second goal when fullback Gaikwad's attempt to intercept a right-footer by Maziya striker Nashid rolled into the net in the 77th minute.

In a rather one-sided first half, Sony took the first shot at the net from the left flank in the fifth minute only to see his effort fisted away brilliantly by Maziya custodian Imran. A measured ball from the right flank by Japanese midfielder Katsumi Yusa found Glen inside the box eighth eighth minute. However, Glen's left-footed tap managed to beat Imran only to miss the target by a whisker.

The first move by the visitors was in the 12th minute when Imaaz's left-footer brushed past Luciano Sabrosa straight to the first post only to be well negotiated by goalkeeper Shilton Paul.

Initially, goals seemed to be eluding Jeje. In the 29th minute, his header from inside the box off a Glen centre missed the net by a few inches. Earlier in the 22nd minute, he managed to lob the ball over Maziya's Bulgarian defender Zhivko Dinev, but it went wide off the woodwork.

Jeje came close to scoring once again in the 63rd minute. His header off a flag-kick by Katsumi went inches above the crosspiece.

Teams

Mohun Bagan: Shilton Paul; Prabir Das, Luciano Sabrosa, Raju Gaikwad (Sanjay Balmuchu, 88), Dhanachandra Singh; Katsumi Yusa, Pronay Halder, Lenny Rodrigues (Bikramjit Singh, 84); Jeje Lalpekhlua, Cornell Glen, Sony Norde (Kean Lewis, 57)

Maziya Sports & Recreation: Imran; Abdulla Asadulla (Niyaz Hussain, 67), Ali Amdhan, Zhivko Dinev Mohamed Samdhooh; Ali Samooh, Samaam Gasim, Yaamin, Easa Ismail (Yasfaadh Habib, 89); Imaaz Ahmed, Nashid

Referee: Iida Jumpei

MoM: Jeje Lalpekhlua