Goa's Churchill Brothers won their maiden I-League football crown after defeating Mohammedan Sporting 6-2 in the last round of matches at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, on Thursday.
They finished with 46 points, three more than their closest rivals Mohun Bagan, who were defeated by Mahindra United 2-1 in their last match in Delhi.
The tournament's leading scorer Odafa Okolie scored twice, in the eight and 84th minute, to swell his tally to 26 goals. Wasim Feroz (own goal, 5th minute), Felix Chimaokwu (61st), Khan Thang Paite (63rd) and Naoba Singh (88th) accounted for Churchill's other goals.
Mike Okoro (52nd min) and Jothi Kumar (added time) reduced the margin for Mohammedan Sporting, who were relegated after placing 11th in the 12-team lead, just above last-placed Vasco, who were beaten by Chirag United 4-1 in their concluding match.
The third place went to Sporting Clube de Goa, who beat Air India 3-1 in Gurgaon, while defending champions Dempo took fourth place after a 2-2 draw with East Bengal, and Mahindra fifth.
Jaspreet Singh scored the all-important goal as JCT defeated Mumbai FC 1-0 in Ludhiana. The victory swelled their tally to 25 points, one more than 10th placed Air India.
The final standings: 1. Churchill Brothers (46 points), 2. Mohun Bagan (43), 3. Sporting Clube de Goa (43), 4. Dempo (31), 5. Mahindra (31), 6. East Bengal (28), 7. Mumbai FC (28), 8. Chirag United (26), 9. JCT (25), 10. Air India (24), 11. Mohammedan Sporting (22), 12. Vasco (10).
