Odafe Onyeka Okolie scored a double hat-trick as Churchill Brothers whipped cellar team Vasco 9-1 in a 16th round match of the ONGC I-League football championship in Goa on Friday to stay in the hunt for the title.
The victory kept Churchill in third place, with 30 points, behind league leaders Mohun Bagan (33) and Sporting Clube de Goa (31).
Odafe, the tournament's leading goalscorer, scored in the 42nd, 50th, 57th, 83rd, 88th and 90th minute to swell his tally to 19 goals from 16 outings.
Felix Chimaokwu, who has 10 goals to his name in the league, also got on the scoresheet for Churchill with goals in the 42nd and 73rd minutes, while Vashum Reisangmi added too the tally, scoring in the 75th.
For Vasco, Lester Fernandes reduced the margin in the 68th minute.
In another I-League match played in Mumbai, defending champions Dempo were held goalless by a ten-man Air India.
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