Kolkata, Aug 2 (IANS) Brazilian striker Clayton Silva starred with four goals (2’, 35’, 71’, 90+3’) as Diamond Harbour FC continued their winning run in the 134th Durand Cup with a commanding 8-1 victory over BSF Football Club in a Group B clash, at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan (KBK) here on Friday.

Slovenian forward Luka Majcen netted a brace (7’, 39’) while Paul (53’) and Jobby Justin (67’) added to the tally for Diamond Harbour FC, which won their second successive match. BSF FC’s lone goal came from Kishori in the 90th minute.

With this emphatic win, Diamond Harbour FC moved to the top of Group B with six points and a +7 goal difference from two matches, ahead of the crucial encounter against Mohun Bagan on August 9.

Diamond Harbour Football Club, the I-League 2 champions, needed just two minutes to make their intentions clear, as Clayton Silva opened the scoring with a composed right-footed finish off a Jobby Justin cross. Luka Majcen doubled the lead five minutes later, smashing in after a scramble by Clayton in the box.

Despite BSF’s attempts to get into the game, they were largely outplayed in midfield and struggled to contain Diamond Harbour’s attacking trio of Silva, Majcen, and Paul. In the 35th minute, Silva struck again with a volley from Girik’s cross, after Paul and Jobby combined to create the opportunity, and just four minutes later, Majcen made it 4-0 after receiving a lofted pass from the Brazilian.

BSF’s best first-half moment came in the 43rd minute when keeper Susnata Malik blocked Kishori’s shot. But it was Diamond Harbour who went into the break with a dominant 4-0 lead.

Jose Antonio’s men picked up where they left off in the second half. Paul added the fifth in the 53rd minute, beating the BSF defense with a low drive. BSF’s backline continued to struggle under pressure, and Jobby Justin scored the sixth with a powerful header from Samuel’s corner in the 67th minute.

Silva completed his hat-trick in the 71st minute, capitalising on a failed clearance from another corner. Though BSF pulled one back in the 90th minute through Kishori, after a neat assist by Harmandeep, it was a mere consolation.

The Brazilian capped off a stellar night with his fourth goal in injury time, powering in a shot from outside the box to make it 8-1.

–IANS

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