Alvito de Cunha, in vintage form, struck a brace as defending Champions East Bengal regained the top slot on the NFL ladder humbling Churchill Brothers 2-0 in a ninth National Football League tie today.

Dominating their opponents for the entire part of the opening session, the city giants went into the lead in the 18th minute before striking an insurance goal a minute before the breather to take their points tally to 36 after 17 rounds. East Bengal are now a point adrift their closest rivals Dempo Sports Club, Goa.

Alvito, who worked untiringly to keep the East Bengal upfront moving, fired the first salvo in the floodlit match with a right footed side volley after Bhaichung Bhutia headed down inside the box a Sasthi Duley floater after the wily mideo was fed by Climax Lawrence from the deep.

East Bengal, who conducted a series of raids on the opponent citadel from the outset, made the scoreline 2-0 when Alvito capped a fine solo with a diagonal shot that rocketed into the net, with the Churchill goalkeeper Alemao stranded high and dry.

Churchill tried to stage a comeback in the second half, but failed to change the scoreline as East Bengal finished the Salt Lake Stadium exchange on Bengali New Year taking home full points.

The foreign recruits continue to be a thorn in East Bengal’s hide as neither Juliano nor Jeremiah could showed the promise of their predecessors. While Juliano is having a nightmare in Kolkata, Jeremiah toils hard, but that is about all.