A fine brace by Brazilian striker Marcos Pereira enabled Vasco Sports Club halt Indian Bank's unbeaten run, with a 2-1 victory, in the Oil PSU-seventh National Football League at the Nehru stadium in Fatorda, Goa, on Wednesday.
All three goals came in the first-half.
Pereira scored in the second and 35th minutes while for Kasun Jayasuriya got Indian Bank's goal in the 15th minute.
With this victory, Vasco moved on par with Indian Bank and Salgaocar, with seven points each, but below table leaders East Bengal and Dempo, who have nine points each.
Vasco could have romped home by a bigger margin had they capitalised on a couple of gilt-edged chances that came their way in the second-half.
The first-half was fast-paced, with both sides having an equal share of the exchanges. Vasco started in full steam and shot into the lead as early as in the second minute through Pereira, who collected a well-measured pass from Sushanat Mathew from the right flank and bulged the net - 1-0.
Inspired by the goal, the Goa side could have increased the lead three minutes later, but Pereira's shot, after he was put through by Rui Wanderely Weis, went off the post by inches.
The bankmen came near scoring in the 10th minute, when Mohammed Qizar sent a diagonal cross to Jayasuriya, but the latter's piledriver was well-fisted over by Vasco goalkeeper Rogerio Ramos.
But Vasco's lead was short-lived as the bankmen restored parity in the 15th minute through their Sri Lankan player Jayasuriya, who made the best of a pass from Sabir Pasha.
Stung by the equaliser, Vasco accelerated the pace of their game and increased their lead in the 35th minute through Pereira, who, after receiving the pass from Sushanata Mathew, dodged past a couple of defenders and unleashed a powerful grounder, which found net - 2-1.
After the change of ends, Indian Bank made desperate attempts for an equaliser, but in vain. In the 57th minute, the visitors could have leveled the score had not goalkeeper Ramos fisted over a try from Harish off a pass from Pasha.
Vasco had a couple of chances to increase their lead, but, in the 68th minute, Nitin Pradhan's power-packed shot crashed into the framework and went wide, and then, a minute before the long whistle, Jules Alberto Dias missed a sitter, being late to react to a pass from Abhay Kumar.
