Riding on a hattrick from Baljit Sahni, JCT registered a facile 5-1 victory over newly-promoted Lajong in the I-League match held at Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on Sunday.
JCT dominated the greenhorns right from the start.
Both the JCT forwards, Baljit Sahni and Balwant Singh, were in great form. While Baljit netted three, Balwant scored a brace.
Balwant also assisted Baljit in two of his goals.
Penn Ikerchukwa Orji was effective in the midfield, as he sent down penetrative passes to the forwards.
JCT took the lead in the 11th minute when Baljit netted the ball following a rebound from goalkeeper Gumpe Rime. The Lajong custodian failed to collect a Daljit Singh header and an alert Baljit was quick to pounce on the mistake.
The goal acted as a wake-up call and Lajong came close to scoring but were foiled by JCT keeper Karanjit Singh.
JCT consolidated their lead in the 24th minute when Balwant sent in a ball from the right on a counter. With Lajong defenders out of position, Baljit hit an unstoppable volley.
Balwant scored through a header in the 51st minute, Baljit once again pounced on a loose ball to score in the 71st minute while Balwant got his second in the 86th minute.
{{/usCountry}}Balwant scored through a header in the 51st minute, Baljit once again pounced on a loose ball to score in the 71st minute while Balwant got his second in the 86th minute.
{{/usCountry}}For Lajong, Michel Bassey scored the only goal just two minutes before the final whistle. Baljit was adjudged man of the match.