Roy Krishna scored two goals and nearly got a third as ATK thrashed North East United 3-0 to take top spot in the Indian Super League yesterday.

With his grandmother watching from the stands, November’s Hero of the Month put on a show at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Assam.

The Vodafone national team captain came close in the 22nd minute, slamming his shot against the side netting after a darting run from the right had beaten the North East defence.

Krishna scored his first in the 35th minute, converting a well-time passed with a composed finish in the bottom left corner to make it 2-0 after David Williams’ earlier goal.

The 32-year-old former Wellington Phoenix ace was a threatening presence throughout the match, but somehow missed a glorious chance from right in front in the 53rd minute.

He made no mistake in the 94th minute, chipping the ball over the goalkeeper from yet another incisive pass to put the result beyond any doubt.

The goals took Krishna’s tally to six for the season, making him a frontrunner for the Golden Boot award.

“Thanks to my brothers for a good match and special thanks to the coaching staff, our families and the extended ATK family,” the striker wrote on Twitter following the win.

The three points helped ATK leapfrog defending champions Bengaluru FC into first place, heading into an all-important match against rivals Goa FC on Sunday (3 am Fiji time).

ATK head coach Antonio Habas said: “I think that the team played a perfect match today. All players performed fantastically. I think the opponent was a difficult opponent.

“I don’t want to think about later than the next match, which is against (FC) Goa on Saturday. Now we have to enjoy the victory,”

Editd by Naisa Koroi

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