Rodriguinho, making his Durand Cup debut, had fun at Defenders FC’s expense, netting his hat-trick in the first 12 minutes.
| Photo Credit: Instragram/scdelhi.official
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.
Published – August 07, 2026 09:31 pm IST
