Defending champions Churchill Brothers recorded a first win of the new I-League season with a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Viva Kerala on Tuesday despite finishing the game with just nine men.

Viva, whose first game of the campaign was postponed due to rain, got off to a terrible start on their return to the top flight as Reisanmei Vashum opened the scoring for the home side from close range after just five minutes at Tilak Maidan.

Churchill Brothers captain and last season's top-scorer Odafe Onyeka Okolie opened his account for the new campaign after 28 minutes to double the lead, but the Ghanaian striker was sent off in first-half injury-time after clashing with Viva's Ghanaian striker Reuben Senyo.

Viva Kerala replied strongly in the second half but, despite being reduced to nine men when Sudhakaran Naveen Kumar was sent off in the closing stages, Churchill Brothers held on to bounce back from their opening-day draw with Mahindra United.