Mohun Bagan Super Giant overcame a listless first-half display to beat Sporting Club Delhi 2-1 in the Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Friday. Lee Erwin and Miguel Figueira scored for Bagan in front of a thin crowd largely backing the visitors.

Delhi’s lone goal came via Lalrinliana Hnamte. It was set up by left-back Manoj Mohammad, who spotted Hnamte’s angled run and duly found the midfielder with a lob over the Bagan defence. Hnamte, who had earlier taken a shot from distance, controlled the aerial pass with his chest and cushioned his finish past Bagan goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.

The Kolkata giant pressed hard for a response once the second half began, with Anirudh Thapa coming close to an equaliser in the 50th minute. The midfielder should have at least forced a save from the Delhi custodian, but his left-footed shot was slightly off target.

Thapa was able to make amends six minutes later by turning provider. Having received a pass on the right side of the 18-yard box, he teed up Rahul Bheke for a shot close to goal. While Bheke only managed to get an outstretched leg on the ball, Erwin was in the right position to latch on.

In the 60th minute, Bagan went ahead. Apuia did the hard work with a twinkle-toed run through a cluster of Delhi players. His subsequent pass for Figueira allowed the Brazilian to open up his body and slot the ball into the net.

The result: Sporting Club Delhi 1 (Lalrinliana Hnamte 23) lost to Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2 (Lee Erwin 56, Miguel Figueira 60).

Sporting Club Delhi finished third from bottom in a truncated 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season.

Contrary to its last-gasp preparation in the lead-up to the previous edition amid severe uncertainty surrounding the league, the club has had more time to plan for the 2026-27 season. The build-up has entailed participation in the 135th edition of the Durand Cup, where it reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion East Bengal FC on penalties.

It makes SC Delhi coach Tomasz Tchorz hopeful about the new ISL campaign. The northern outfit will face Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru in the opener on Saturday.

“It’s very exciting to have an opportunity to start the second season with SC Delhi. In the first season, where the threat of relegation was there, the most important thing was to stay in the league. But our objective is always to be in the top six. Our players now understand how it is to compete at the highest level in India. A takeaway from last season was the experience that the young talents got. This will be a positive for us in the new season,” Tchorz said during a virtual media interaction on Thursday.

To assist the Polish tactician in his objective, SC Delhi has made a few signings. Among them is 23-year-old midfielder Lalrinliana Hnamte, who was with Chennaiyin FC for the past two seasons.

“I’m very happy with his arrival. It’s a little bit of fresh air in the dressing room. It is important for us to create a group that is very competitive and represents our values but also gives us a little bit more of the leadership. He has already shown the qualities of being a leader.”

Brazilian forward Rodriguinho struck five goals on his Durand Cup debut as SC Delhi steamrollered Sri Lankan outfit Defenders FC 7-0 to record its second straight win in Group ‘C’ at the Birsa Munda Stadium (Morabadi) in Ranchi on Friday.

Mohammed Aimen and substitute Juan Sebastian Peña also contributed in Delhi’s dominating performance, which helped the side sit atop its group with six points and move closer to a quarterfinal spot.

Sensational start

Delhi made a sensational start as Rodriguinho outwitted Defenders to achieve his hat-trick quickly. He brought down a pass, turned and unleashed a left-footer to open the account in the sixth minute and struck two more in the next six minutes.

After taking a 4-0 lead at the half-time, the Tomasz Tchórz-coached side pumped in three goals in the closing minutes with Rodriguinho scoring two of those.

At the Salt Lake Stadium here, East Bengal outplayed South United FC 5-0 to post its second win and stay alive in the race for a spot in the last-eight.

The results: At Ranchi: Group C: SC Delhi 7 (Rodriguinho 6, 8, 12, 89, 90+5, Mohammed Aimen 34, Juan Sebastian Peña 90+2) bt Defenders FC 0.

At Kolkata: Group A: East Bengal 5 (Ramirez 6, Bashim Rashid 24, Bhaatt 73, Bipin 81, David Hmar 90+5) bt South United FC 0.