Brazilian forward Rodriguinho announced his arrival in Indian football in spectacular fashion, scoring five goals as SC Delhi demolished Defenders FC 7-0 for their second straight win in Group C of the 135th Durand Cup at the Birsa Munda Stadium on Friday.

The Brazilian struck a sensational five-goal haul on his first start for the club, while Mohammed Aimen and substitute Juan Sebastian Pena also found the back of the net as SC Delhi produced a dominating display from start to finish.

The victory took SC Delhi to the top of the Group C standings with six points from two matches, taking them closer to a place in the quarterfinals. Defenders FC, meanwhile, completed their group stage campaign without a point, suffering a third consecutive defeat of the tournament.

SC Delhi Head Coach Tomasz Tchorz made two changes to his starting lineup, bringing in Brazilian forward Rodriguinho and Colombian forward Duvan Mina in place of Joseph Sunny and the suspended Ashutosh Mehta, while on the other hand C.P Wanigasooriya made just one change in the starting eleven with forward S. Aravinraj replacing A.A. Joseph in attack.

SC Delhi made a blistering start to the contest, racing into a three-goal lead inside the opening 13 minutes as new signing Rodriguinho announced himself in Indian football with a sensational quickfire hat-trick. The Brazilian opened the scoring with a moment of individual quality, bringing down a pass expertly on his chest before spinning away from his marker and dispatching a composed left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

Barely a minute later, he doubled both his tally and SC Delhi’s advantage. Mohammed Aimen threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the striker’s path, and Rodriguinho made no mistake, guiding a first-time left-footed effort into the bottom corner.

Rodriguinho completed his dream debut moments later following another slick attacking move. Mohammed Azhar clipped a precise long ball over the defence to Yanglem Sanatomba Singh, who squared a low, accurate cross across the six-yard box. The Brazilian arrived unmarked and had the simplest of finishes, calmly slotting the ball into the net to complete a remarkable 13-minute hat-trick.

SC Delhi extended their advantage in the 34th minute, shortly after the first hydration break, with another incisive attacking move. Lalrinliana Hnamte picked out Mohammed Aimen with a perfectly weighted long ball after the winger timed his run to perfection. Aimen brought the ball under control with a fine first touch before calmly lifting his finish over the advancing goalkeeper to make it 4-0 at half-time.

Defenders FC looked far more organised after the restart, showing greater defensive discipline to frustrate SC Delhi’s attacking rhythm. The Sri Lankan side denied the hosts any clear-cut opportunities, forcing them to rely on long-range efforts and set-piece situations for openings.

At the other end, Defenders FC attempted to exploit the spaces on the counter-attack by releasing their forwards with quick passes in transition. However, the SC Delhi backline remained alert throughout, reading the danger well and intercepting the passes before the attacks could develop into meaningful chances.