Basudeb Mondal (jersey No. 14) scores Mohun Bagan?s second goal against Renown SC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

Calcutta: Forty minutes into Saturday?s IFA Shield match, the question doing the rounds at Salt Lake Stadium was: how did Renown SC land up in this tournament? Mohun Bagan were already 6-0 in front and looking good to doubling that margin against the Sri Lankan outfit.

Subrata Bhattacharya?s men stopped at nine, but the visitors could so easily have conceded a dozen. Even 10 would have taken Mohun Bagan into the record books as the biggest victory margin recorded by an Indian side against any foreign opposition, past East Bengal?s 9-0 rout of Valencia (Maldives) in the 1985 Asian Club Cup.

For the record, the contributors in Mohun Bagan?s goal-feast were Roberto Mendes Silva Beto (three including two from the penalty spot), Amit Das (two), Dulal Biswas, Basudeb Mondal, Sunil Chhetri and Noel Wilson (one each).

Having drawn with Myanmar Finance & Revenue FC in their opener, Mohun Bagan are now assured of a semi-final berth. Saturday?s result also virtually assured them the group-toppers? slot ? unless the Myanmar side pumps in 10 against the Sri Lankans on Monday ? which should help them avoid a possible last-four clash with East Bengal.

Renown SC may have been the best club in Sri Lanka last season, but they won?t pass muster as a CFL first division side ? at least not on the strength of their performance on a bone-dry Salt Lake turf. They managed to remain unscathed for the first quarter of an hour simply because Mohun Bagan took some time to realise that Renown were hell-bent on making a mockery of their name.

Renown have been struggling this year even at home. The team they have brought for the IFA Shield is sans a foreigner and five top players, who are at the national camp. But that can?t be an excuse for such school-level soccer which threw basics out of the window.

The goalkeeper was shaky, to say the least. Zonal marking looked like an alien term for the defenders, medios were slipping trying to control routine balls and any semblance of cohesion was non-existent. That Renown got their first (of two) corner-kick after nearly 70 minutes summarises the Sri Lankan show aptly.

A combination of Dharamjit Singh, Tomba Singh, Wilson, Mondal and Mehtab Hussain can be a handful for the most well-organised of defence lines. Against this bunch of Sri Lankan no-hopers, it was all too easy for Mohun Bagan to lord over the midfield.

Opening the floodgates was Dulal, in the 16th minute. Having started a promising move from the left, he followed the path of the ball as it travelled via Tomba, Chhetri and back to him. Dulal finished it off in style, unleashing an angular right-footer from top of the box.

Mondal initiated the move for goal No. 2. He ended up scoring as Beto?s shot was partially saved by the goalkeeper and Chhetri muffed in taking the rebound.

Beto, showing good touches off and on, got into the scoresheet with a fine execution. Chesting down a Wilson cross, the Brazilian got his marker off the way and volleyed home with a power-packed right-footer.

Then it was Chhetri?s turn to get into the act, flicking a Mehtab corner past a static defender and custodian.

Four-up within half an hour, the Mohun Bagan coach pulled out his best game-maker Tomba and brought in Amit Das. He was in the thick of things within minutes of entering the fray.

As Amit set Dharamjit up with a delectable through ball, the latter was pulled down near the six-yard box. Penalty it was and Beto coolly slotted it in.

It didn?t take long for Amit to get one for himself. A free-kick just outside the penalty box saw Mehtab selling a dummy and Mondal stabbing it square for Amit to score with a left-footer.

Changing ends half a dozen goals to the good, Mohun Bagan slowed down just a tad but still managed three more. Mehtab and Beto combined to feed Chhetri, whose prompt shot was palmed away by the ?keeper. Wilson was at hand to pounce on the rebound and bulge the netting.

Amit got his second with a diving header off a Dharamjit free-kick. Number nine came off another Beto penalty after the custodian had made an improper charge on Chhetri.

Renown survived the final 22 minutes, enduring three close calls and themselves nearly scoring on one occasion. That was their best phase!

TEAMS

Mohun Bagan: Prasanta Dora, Dulal Biswas (Rajesh Meetei, 56), Mehrajuddin Wadao, Eduardo Coelho, Tomba Singh (Amit Das, 34), Noel Wilson, Dharamjit Singh, Mehtab Hussain (Biman Mondal, 65), Basudeb Mondal, Roberto Mendes Silva ?Beto?, Sunil Chhetri.

Renown SC: M.M. Nawshad, A. Jayantha, A. Loganathan, D. Hettiharachige, K. Dinesh Kumara (H. Jayasinghe, 30), Shaji Varghese, B. Rajitha (M. Vijesurendran, 60), M. Perera, L.M. Asmeer, D. Jayasinghe (Benedict Simon, 46), T.J. Kumara.

Referee: P.K. Bose.